When Emmanuel Macron announced confinement in France on March 16 due to the coronavirus epidemic, Christophe Bétard wondered how he could help the most fragile and isolated people in his department in the Vosges. The 2015 ATV world champion Xterra launched a club of ATV enthusiasts last summer, the "Watt by VNP". He therefore posted a video message on the Facebook page of this group to offer to deliver free groceries and medicines.
Thanks to the publication's sharing and word of mouth in the department, his initiative was successful and calls were multiplied. Christophe Bétard and his group of mountain bikers also pay attention to barrier gestures: fitted with gloves and masks, they drop the races in front of the accommodation. "We are athletic, we are in good health and we want to help people in need", explains the mountain biker.
An initiative to facilitate the work of nurses
In addition to helping these isolated people, the world champion mountain biker and his group facilitate the work of liberal nurses in the region: "We are lucky to have in our group boys who work in the medical field, including a physiotherapist who takes care of drug orders. Once there, he places them in front of the houses, it makes work easier and saves the nurses who come every day to care for grandpas and grandmas here, ”explains Christophe to France TV Sport .
Races and comfort
These tours allow people in need to have enough to eat during confinement, but also comfort, as Christophe Bétard explains: “In the morning, we deliver bread, newspapers and croissants to people who are alone, we are a link, perhaps the last for some of them. We also take the time, from a distance, to speak with them ”. Pending the end of confinement, Watt by VNP members give their time and energy to help the most vulnerable. A way to participate in national solidarity but also to continue to practice their passion for mountain biking.
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