“Meet Michel Soupet: The Mysterious Cyclist of Le Puy”

We have so often seen his familiar silhouette on the side of Chantilly in Vals, when he returned home by bike. Although wedged in his saddle, he always seemed to ride like a dancer, the machine, however squat, giving the appearance of being tossed about like a fragile boat shaken by the swell. It is in the district of rue de la République in Le Puy where he now resides, that we are given to meet him most often with his heavy machine flanked by saddlebags, two at the back, two at the front. . It is also common to come across it on the small roads of the upper Loire Valley. The German-designed bike is unique, as is its rider, always warmly dressed whatever the season, as if to face the ascent of the Tourmalet in the heart of winter. With an angular, ascetic face, Michel Soupet conveys the image of a sentinel on the road, absorbed in his thoughts.