In one year since taking up a post in the Economics section of 20 minutes, 56 papers were written with “inflation” in the title. Or more than one per week on average. So much so that by dint of having sanded the subject in all directions, we no longer knew how to transcribe the exceptional aspect of the beast, which nevertheless still promises to be the hit of the year for our section in 2023 .
What more can be said about these prices which rise, rise, rise… in search of a famous “peak” which does not come. A peak ? A Cape ? What am I saying, it’s a cape, it’s a pass. Looking at the inflation curve for a year, a revelation suddenly dawned on us. This austere-looking subject has quite the face of a Tour de France stage. And before retorting “You really got your press card in a surprise bag…”, take a look at this comparison between stage 16 of the last Tour de France and inflation for a year, and dare to say that there is not a slight resemblance.
Fortunately, Steve Chainel is there to reinforce our metaphor. A professional cyclist between 2007 and 2015, he is now a consultant on the Tour de Frace. Suffice to say that the bike knows it. And yes, for him, “the comparison between inflation and a mountain climb is very relevant. We suffer, we don’t see the end of it, it’s terrible. »
Two out of category for the ascent of a lifetime
The subject being validated, foreword for non-cycling enthusiasts. In the Tour de France, the passes are classified by category, from pass 4 – a very cute climb – to pass 1 – a very edgy climb. And still above (therefore worse), we find the pass out of category.
With maximum inflation over one year at 6.2%, far from the 13% drop in altitude that can be found on the Tour, we had initially put the two passes for the year 2022, in July and October, in category 2. But Steve Chainel finds us much too lenient: “Inflation between January 2022 and the first peak in July is unheard of, it is at the level of Alpe d’Huez! “Correction made, so we start with a first out of category.
When ranking our inflation curve so high in the peaks, it’s as much the ex-professional cyclist as the consumer who speaks: “I don’t want to do the old thing at 39, but I didn’t have never seen prices go up so high, so fast and for so long. So yes, it is out of category. “And Steve Chainel unrolls the metaphor:” Everyone is affected by an out of category. Even stage leaders/affluent categories who still experience inflation. But especially the sprinters/precarious people who are not adapted to this price increase and whose goal is just to survive the stage. We are tempted to cheat/ some steal from supermarkets, work illegally to help out at the end of the month, like some cyclists dope themselves before a huge stage. »
Save effort and savings
Sold ! Now that we have determined that we are on an XXL climb, how do we climb it all of a sudden? Quick tips for your shopping baskets by Steve Chainel. First, forget the mantras “we take the kilometers one after the other” / “we live from day to day”. On the contrary, “the great danger is to draw all your energy/all your savings from the start and end up in the red. This is the standard error and the best way to explode in flight. “What is needed is” to have an overview, to know that we are going to struggle for a good while and therefore to be in management, to economize. »
Here we are in July, at the top of the first pass at 6%. Then, inflation fell slightly, before rising again to around 6% in the fall. “A more rolling pass than Alpe d’Huez. It looks a bit like the Col du Glandon, ”says our cyclist. Again, an out of category. And one hell of a trap after the calves worn down by Alpe d’Huez/the start of the year: “The risk is to tell yourself that the worst is over and to release the pressure, while the prices/the height difference still climbs severely. Failures just before the finish, it happens, and it’s very painful. »
As you will have understood, even if inflation will perhaps – finally – calm down in the coming months, we are not blowing yet before we have reached the end. But, and that’s the beauty of cycling and life, the toughest trials always come to an end. Steve Chainel: “In this kind of ascent, we struggle, we suffer, we tell ourselves that we are not going to make it, that it is too hard… And then at one point, the finish line is there, and it’s over. We did it. » Take heart, a few more pedal strokes.