One way to Central America... by bike #David

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ISABELLE PION

Sherbrooke - October 26 , 2022

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CHRONICLE / As far back as David Beauchesne can remember, cycling has always had a place in his life. As a child, he went to school on two wheels. In recent years, it has also become his means of transport to teach. Over the next few weeks, the discovery of Central America will be done to the rhythm of his pedal strokes.

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The start of his journey will be from San José, Costa Rica . These are his only reserved nights: then, the Sherbrooke resident will sleep where the road takes him. He intends to go to Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and return from Mexico. His goal? “3000 km, I imagine. I have time, it's not too big for me..."

“I have already cycled through Nicaragua . I was always pressed for time. It was during the Christmas holidays in 2018. I did 12 or 14 days…” The pages of the calendar will not rush him this time: the sabbatical teacher has bought a one-way ticket.

“Overall, I don't know exactly where I'm going to go. I want to let myself be guided by my feelings . » He expects difficult conditions: unevenness, roads without shoulders… « I'm going to improvise. I'm going to go from point A to point B… but going through all the letters of the alphabet. »

He knows Nicaragua for having organized humanitarian trips there with his students from Collège Mont-Notre-Dame. "I forged ties with those families who hosted us," he says. It could well be, moreover, that he spends Christmas there with the friends he has made there. He has also already visited Guatemala to have stayed there with his groups.

David Beauchesne will take advantage of this trip, which will begin on November 1, to create content for his company Fast123. “I create applications that are grafted onto Google tools. »

This photography maniac has also taken Sherbrooke from all angles since the start of the pandemic.

Cycling is a way of getting around for David Beauchesne , but also a way of traveling.

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The project has been maturing for a while now. The adventures of Jonathan B. Roy (who cycled around the world) had made him dream. And there's no question of waiting until retirement to take a trip like this. He slips in passing that he lost his mother at 56 – two years after his retirement – ​​and his sister at 40. Life is short and he knows it.

“I want to take advantage of it, but I want to be able to survive like the people of those countries, with few means (…) I kind of know what I'm getting into… I can't wait to rediscover this simplicity -the. »

“I have always traveled fast. There, I have time…” says the one who wants to “feed” and learn more.

He leaves with his bike and two 40-litre panniers, but without a tent and without a burner. He expects to sleep with the people he meets on his way.

In 2017, he cycled through Cuba, where he saw food supply challenges. It was before the pandemic, before the situation deteriorated further for Cubans. “It seems that it is even worse, I dare not imagine. I'm very sensitive to that and I try to make students aware of that,” he says, recalling his projects with Moisson Estrie.

He observes that tourism has plummeted since the pandemic in the countries he will visit, leaving people even more destitute.

An occasional substitute since his sabbatical, David Beauchesne bikes to work, even if that means pedaling to Waterville or Johnville.

“We say that we have to do something against climate change, but it starts with ourselves,” he underlines, specifying that he is part of the Vélo urbain Sherbrooke (VUS) group, which campaigns for the development of active transportation. and a better cycling network. His journeys allow you to train at the same time for his journey, which will last at least two to three months.

“Of course, a bike trip, I had to do it. I'm going to happiness… ”says the father of two young adults, who will share his adventures on his site and his social networks.

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Write to me at isabelle.pion@latribune.qc.ca

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