A relief.
This is what Claire and Christophe, the winners of “Pékin Express”, felt during their victory in Istanbul, Turkey, broadcast this Tuesday evening on M 6. The “chic father” and the “shocking daughter”, aged respectively 60 and 28 years old, won against Rose-Marie and Cinzia, Parisian friends.
Far from being favorites at launch, they were able to show their competitors that they were formidable, until pocketing 58,730 euros.
Interview.
Christophe, when you arrive, you say to Claire: “It was impossible, we couldn't win.
" Why ?
Christophe.
It seemed unlikely to me because the girls were very good at hitchhiking.
All the men hitchhiked them.
Myself, if I see a Cinzia on the side of the road, I take it!
(Laughs)
.
Claire.
We also had a bad start.
We left fifteen minutes after them, we had a lot of trouble finding cars… We thought it was going to be hot.
Christophe.
And above all, I was convinced that we had lost.
So I was thinking about what I could say to my daughter to console her for our defeat.
You were an outsider and you turned out to be fighters as the race went on ...
Christophe.
Those who said that are the ones who didn't see that I was young, handsome and strong
(laughs)
. I had a lot of willpower, above all. And the game took us beyond our limits. I never thought I could do all the trials we've had. I have already started to spread the rumor that I was going to make the Olympic Games, just to impress them if we ever had to do a “Beijing Express” again.
Claire.
From the first day of racing in Uganda, I was really exhausted.
Dad even almost fell for the crop.
But the more we advance, the more we progress and the more we believe in it.
We knew we were the slowest pair because dad has knee problems.
We had to find parades, sometimes go in the wrong direction, go hitchhiking in another place ... But I felt an adrenaline like in any competition.
Read also "Beijing Express": the 2021 finalists judged by the 2020 winners
Pierre-Louis and Arnaud, the "party brothers", believe that the interruption of the shooting for six months has benefited you, allowing you to rest.
Do you agree with them?
Christophe.
This allowed us to recharge the batteries, that's for sure.
However, we were among the best pairs at the end of the African stages.
We were very careful about our food, our body too.
Claire.
I still caught a bacteria in Africa.
I could have held on but I had a lot of fever and digestive problems when I returned to France.
I must have been on antibiotics for two weeks.
We were all at the end of our rope.
The brothers even had to stay a little longer in Ethiopia because they were sick.
Christophe, you have decided to donate your share of the profits to an association.
Why this choice ?
Christophe.
I was very flattered and happy that my daughter asked me to do "Beijing Express".
I took this as a gift.
But what really makes you happy is the other.
I had my salary, the happiness of being with my daughter and I know that we are happy when we give.
I told myself that the real value of my adventure is what I experienced with my daughter, not this money received.
I felt like he was going to spoil my joy.
I decided to offer it to Secours Catholique and to other associations, in agreement with my wife.
Claire.
For my part, I have ideas for projects in sport.
Nothing very defined yet but it is clear that it will be a huge boost in my life.