Day 14: The human in the loop

The human in the loop

Day of “leisure riding”.

The small final stretch to Saint‑Tropez… a formality.

A bit like a Sunday ride after a good Saturday night

Except there is no headache because the bottles were good 🍷 and above all… a real desire to ride in the sunshine and finally mark the end of this journey with a memorable photo.

First, an important clarification: what you are reading is indeed the inspiration of a human, written by a human, driven by the legs of human beings.

Yes, it is probably worth stating it. AI has not been involved in this part of the adventure.

Not so much to claim credit, but to remind of the human aspect of what we have experienced.

Even if technology supports us a lot:

the beautiful greenways we ride… are very well recommended by highly efficient applications.

Greg’s old Michelin Atlas can start to worry 😄

It may no longer have a place in his bags next time, alongside his anvil and metal saw…

And for Phil… one last technological addition would probably be just a simple rear‑view mirror, like Mélanie, allowing him to better adjust the power of his very strong legs to those of the ones trying to follow 🤪

As for me, more of a gadget enthusiast, I honestly do not see what more I could add to my equipment.

Except… perhaps, a good old alarm clock, some would say 🙄

Technology is also what allows me to write and share these few lines that you seem to appreciate.

So today, I move away from the distance of the third person and speak a bit more about us.

Greg, the superstitious one, loyal to old habits and worn‑out trainers

Gauthier, elegant down to the smallest detail, his socks perfectly matched to his worn sweater

Phil, the metronome and organiser, without whom we probably would never have made it past Paris 😄

And then… your servant, distracted and sometimes clumsy, but who has hopefully ensured that the essence of what we have experienced does not remain buried between the links of our greasy chains.

I do not have enough time to speak about everyone.

But there are also: our fellow riders of course; our loved ones and our families, the ones who make all this possible.

And the friends who come to cheer us at the end; already laughter and shared moments… a real promise of a memorable end to the journey.

So, at a time when even intelligence is becoming artificial… it is useful to recall that only humans come together, push themselves for a cause, share effort, solidarity and friendship, and that for all of this, there will always need to be humans in the loop 🔁