from Sri Lanka to Norway, Romain Bessière tells us about his incredible adventures as a “globe-skater”

The Caennais had his first skateboard at the age of 3. Thirty years later, Romain Bessière has covered more than 20,000 kilometers on his board all around the world.

–

Some try to speak to the angels by multiplying the figures in the air. Romain Bessière, he remains firmly anchored to the ground, addicted to speed and asphalt. His thing is downhill, a discipline reserved for hotheads. It was at the foot of the tree that the boy, then aged three, found his first skateboard. Thirteen years later, after having cut his teeth for a long time on the roads around his village of Vouilly in Calvados, he took part in his first French downhill championships. The beginnings were not flamboyant but in June 2006, he broke the world distance record over 24 hours with 300 kilometers at Le Mans. A hell of a sporting performance. But two years earlier, the young man had already started to think outside the box of sport.

Romain dreams of elsewhere, other horizons, adventures and encounters. His playground will be the planet. “When I started in 2004, I was the first to do this, on my own with my backpack and nothing else. Everyone looked at me like crazy: he’s never going to end, something’s going to happen to him.“Le Normand begins” gently “with a crossing of the Alps over 270 kilometers then it will be Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany. A tour of Europe as a warm-up lap before aiming further afield: Japan in 2009, a 1,200 km journey on the east coast of Australia the following year before driving 1,600 km between Vancouver and San Francisco in 2011. Since then, its counter has continued to run and displays today 20,000 kilometers traveled over 27 different countries.

In Sri Lanka, Norway, China, Ireland, Canada or Senegal, Romain is always looking for thrills. “Sometimes I allow myself to be close to 80 km / h with my 15 kilo backpack. I have little scares. Missing out on a serious fall allows me to see that I am alive.“But on the roads of the whole world, the Norman has found other satisfactions. For several years he has kept what he calls his” guest book “, a meeting book where many people who have crossed his path or hosted him left a note. “It has become a drug. People perceive you differently, they welcome you directly to their homes. Skateboarding helps for a first approach. Once at home, as they say to themselves: this may be the last time we will see it, they free themselves. In many countries, people tell me their stories.“These trips offered Romain much more than sensations.