In Far Enough, athlete
We don’t linger long on introductions. As soon as the audience meets the 22-year-old climbing instructor, Rouaux is laying out his ambitious plan. Bicycle 11,500km from his front door to base camp at Ama Dablam, then summit the 6,812m peak. Then straightway he’s off, covering 180km on day 1.
Rouaux cycling in Serbia. Photo: Screenshot
Crossing 14 countries
The first week takes him into Serbia, where we observe his travel style. He’s packed only the bare essentials. Taking advantage of his enviable ability to sleep anywhere, Rouaux beds down on roadsides and open fields.
Maintaining his average of 200km a day, Rouaux soon passes through Bulgaria and into Turkey. His mood remains buoyant, despite traffic and headwinds.
Unable to cycle through Iran, a disappointed Rouaux has to catch a flight from Georgia to Kazakhstan. He’s cycling again as soon as he leaves the airport, stunned by the sudden transition from greenery to desert. The harsh conditions are tempered by his encounters on the road, with strangers pulling over to hand him bottles of water or massive, delicious-looking flatbread called tandyr.
Rouaux cycles past a delightful herd of camels in Kazakhstan. Photo: Screenshot
Tajikistan, he announces only a few hours after crossing the border, is “pure bliss.” He passes through olive groves along untrafficked roads, friendly strangers calling out greetings as he cycles past. But an encounter on the border with Afghanistan leaves him visibly shaken. In French, Rouaux explains how he was waving at some kids on the other side of the border when a sniper guarding the area orders him to stop filming and move along.
He does, pedaling nonstop. But borders remain a problem. When he crosses into China, border police confiscate his phone and camera and subject him to a long interrogation. When he attempts to go from China to Pakistan by bike, he’s briefly arrested.
So, the cycling trip experiences its second interruption. Officials will only allow him to cross the border by bus. After 46 days, however, he’s finally in Pakistan, and Nepal is within sight.
Rouaux in Tajikistan, flanked by the Pamir foothills. Photo: Screenshot
To Ama Dablam
He’s not cycling free for long in Pakistan. Rouaux quickly acquires a police escort, as cops on motorbikes form an involuntary honor guard around him. Rouaux manages to ditch them the next morning, with the simple tactic of telling them he was leaving at eight, then sneaking out at six. He arrives in India, euphoric but exhausted.
His usual ebullient confessionals are becoming muted. After covering 320km on the final day, Rouaux realizes he may have pushed too far. Reunited with his friend Noa in Nepal, they should be gearing up to climb a mountain. But he’s sick, tired, and barely lucid.
Below Base Camp, Rouaux goes for a medical evaluation. Photo: Screenshot
At a health post near Base Camp, medical authorities warn him that he’s at risk of pulmonary edema. After cycling for 67 days to reach Ama Dablam, Rouaux turns around.
“If my body can’t take me to the top by my own means,” he decides, “that’s just the way it is.”
