After the train, the bike. The All Blacks are definitely promoting soft mobility during their visit to France for the Rugby World Cup. Based in Lyon during the competition, two players from the New Zealand team visited, for the NZR channel, the city at Vélo’v, the self-service bicycles of the metropolis.
Spotted by Progress, a video posted on YouTube on Monday shows Andy Ellis and George Bower strolling through the streets of the city. The rugby players are filmed commenting on 19th century architecture but also sharing anecdotes. George Bower then told his sidekick that Lyon was recognized as the “capital of gastronomy” and informed him of the importance, at the time, of silk production in the capital of Gaul.
Despite the difficulty of the altitude difference, the athletes manage to complete the climb
After a passage on the quays of the Saône and on the Saint-Georges footbridge, the athletes set off on the Montée Saint-Barthélemy, to reach the basilica of Fourvière, spotted a little earlier during their tour of Lyon. But to get there, they had to cycle a short kilometer, with an elevation gain of 271 m and a slope of 10.5%. The images show them in difficulty, at the Rosary garden, yet encouraged by passers-by. If Andy Ellis assures his friend that they use electric bikes at the start of the video, he forgot that it is necessary to rent the battery…
Arriving at their destination, the athletes, out of breath, admit to the camera “being hot” and “being sweaty” while acknowledging the applause received during this “finish line”, as they say.