From Sundgau, to the Bruche Valley via the Alsace plain, Jérôme Zindy, on his solar bike, crisscrosses the region for 1 month to meet local producers.
Accompanied on the roads by a cameraman, a photographer and an editor, this native of Alsace has embarked on an adventure punctuated by 23 stages entitled "
100 km around Strasbourg
".
Highlighting local know-how
The adventurer, native of Mulhouse, launched a surprising challenge: to cover more than 1,200 km while remaining within a perimeter of 100 km around the capital of the Grand-Est.
Leaving Strasbourg Cathedral on April 26, he and his team cross the villages and valleys of the region, in the rain and the good weather, to meet 21 local producers.
Mountain breeder, chef, manufacturer of flat-bottomed boats ... the objective of the project for Jérôme Zindy is to "
highlight the return to the short circuit
" in order to bring up to date "
the link between what we consume and the people behind those products
”.
All shared on social networks through a series of photos and videos.
“
For example, I went to meet Mickaël Rochel, a mountain breeder in Belmont, who owns around a hundred cattle raised in the countryside.
Here, the meat, we know where it comes from, who is behind it and we know how the animals grew.
That's what changes everything for me,
”explains the young thirty-
something
.
This tour plans to go through the Kaysersberg, Villé and Bruche Valleys in the Alsatian region.
The adventurers
Read also: Short circuits driven by the health crisis
Environmental awareness
In addition to this upgrading of short supply chains, there is awareness of environmental issues. “
Today, we need to reduce our impact, our waste and the carbon footprint of our food. The more we source locally, the less carbon impact we will have on our products,
”he explains.
It is in this logic that he opted for a cleaner and more original means of transport than the car: the solar-powered electric bicycle.
Despite the environmental impact caused by its manufacture, Jérôme Zindy qualifies by pointing out its low energy cost.
“
The electric bicycle has a very low impact.
It is the only motorized means that combines muscular assistance and the energy of a motor.
On another project, I did 400km for 9 euro cents
”.
Read also: "Travel without polluting": SNCF launches its CO2 emissions comparator
According to him, this type of vehicle has the advantage of guaranteeing almost total autonomy over long journeys. The battery is recharged via the solar panel but also the engine brake, and therefore depends on climatic conditions and the gradient of the road. Although the sun hasn't always been there in recent weeks, his solar bike only needed to be recharged once.
At the origin of this project, an environmental awareness that arose in 2018 following numerous trips abroad.
After having "
gone through a period of real questioning
", he decides to travel differently, in a more "
responsible and committed
" way.
In 2020, he sets himself the challenge of doing 700km in 12 stages during his “
100km around Avignon
” project, the city in which he lives today.
“
It was one of the best trips of my life,
” says Jérôme Zindy.
Stage 2 of the project: the Grand Ried
Meeting with Michelin-starred chef Alexis Albrecht.
Instagram @jeromezindy
"
The real star of this project is my bike
"
This year, the trip is co-organized by Alsace Destination Tourisme, which brought together 18 Tourist Offices around this project to promote the rediscovery of Alsace. The sponsors like this one make it possible to finance up to
"several tens of thousands of euros"
the "
long work upstream
" of this trip, the accommodation but also the presence of the 5 other members of the team who help to draw up a portrait of the region's producers. This presence allows Jérôme Zindy to share his adventure on social networks. Always smiling at the camera, he transmits his passion and his good humor in video and photos to his 1,100 subscribers on Instagram and 2,200 on Facebook.
Thanks to social networks, press articles and his unusual bike, Jérôme Zindy no longer goes unnoticed in the region. “
There is not a village in which I pass where I am not recognized. But the real star of this project is my bike
, he laughs.
What is great is that behind it, there are a lot of people who believe in the project and who support us. This project even inspired some to explore their region by bike
”. And why not you ?