Day: September 3, 2006

2 days until arrival in Tokyo, September 5 at 14H00 (local time) on the parking lot Prince Hotel.  
For more info double click on the icon “Arrivée” on the welcome page of the website

You can send your questions to Serge at the following address: sergegirard@wanadoo.fr.  His replies will be posted on the website September 6 & 7. (The website will be updated through September 7)  

Our heads are full of figures
19,000 km in 258 days 14 hours and 59 minutes, or 73.41 km per day.
18,000 km to 19,000 km rune in 13 days 6 hours and 28 minutes, or 75.36 km per day.
19,030 km: the record of Gary Parson beat in 258 days 19 hours and 1 minute.
There are still just as many visits on the road.  Less than 70 km to run

I continue to be surprised by all the comments because every follower replied without contacting the others and the similarities speak for themselves.  Today, three men: Georges, the uncle who was the eldest of the followers but how young in spirit! For Ludovic this crossing was almost routine, which is normal because he participated in three other crossings, Australia, South America and Africa.  Thomas, a professional photographer knew how to capture https://sergegirard.com/old/old/images of the body, the soul and the spirit.  Thanks to all three.

GEORGES GIRARD (age 69) Participated between Istanbul and Teheran

“You adjust to the needs of Serge.”  You get up about an hour before Serge, wash and dress, prepare the bags of equipment for the coming day, make an inventory of the 4×4 for Serge’s feedings, have breakfast and leave.

The day takes on the rhythm of the feedings, every 4 km.  You have to be available to ensure that Serge has everything he needs: food, drink but also sunglasses, sun block, wind breaker…
It also means staying close to Serge to protect him from possible problems such as dangerous people or stray dogs, guiding him through busy crossings in the cities and marking the day’s stopping point so we will know where to start the next day.

In the afternoon set up camp or go to the hotel.  The team eats together and in good spirits Serge tells us about his day.  Then it’s to bed for a good night’s rest.  
The life in the group: The main thing is to be helpful to others and always to Serge.  Being in a good mood means there is a good atmosphere within the team.

The most surprising thing for me was Serge’s level of concentration as soon has he was up in the morning.  In spite of the pain he suffered he said he took the time to admire the scenery and with a smile.  BRAVO Serge.

Because of this adventure I discovered marvelous and unforgettable scenery but above all, due to the slow pace, I was able to meet generous and interesting people.  These encounters enabled me to have an idea of the countries we crossed which differed from the prejudices we often have in France.

LUDOVIC FORTIER (age 35  physiotherapist) Participated between Kashgar – Xian and Kagoshima – Tokyo

My daily life was set to Serge’s rhythm, as a follower: feeding, seeing if Serge feels OK, thinking about everything that’s necessary during the race but afterward giving him massages (at the end of the crossing I wasn’t able to do this part of the job, to my great regret)!. Another thing that governed our life was Serge’s morale: if Serge was OK, the whole team was OK, if Serge was in a “giving” mood then laughter was shared. But when things didn’t go well the team was moody. It was also important in this routine to have some time to oneself, once Serge was cared for.  That helped making living together possible.  It was important to live this adventure, savor it, discover the countries we crossed and combine business with pleasure.

The role of the follower is to give everything he can so that Serge will reach his goal.