“The click was in the summer of 2019, during a bike trip with a few friends on the Viarhôna , a cycle route that follows the course of the Rhône ”, remembers ex-Thionvillois Xavier Fabian, programmer behind the Via Epona project. “It was my turn to find a campsite and I had spotted a rather nice one, but I did not realize, when planning the trip, that it was located at the top of a ridge. The access was made either by a national with two times two lanes, or by narrow roads with a difference in height which had to be well in the 15%. “
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Mapping, various and varied stops
A real hassle transformed into an idea and then materialized into a project during the first confinement, in March 2020. “I finished my post-doctorate in 2019. I took advantage of unemployment to improve my programming skills”, restates this doctor in particle physics. “This is also what allowed me to devote myself full time to this project. “After moving forward a little, he tackled this project with a friend, Grégory Justin” who has since become my partner. He takes care of all the commercial part. “
A few months later, the project finds a name: Via Epona. “It is an application intended for all cycle tourists, whether they are novices or experienced. It aggregates bike-oriented data that it is sometimes difficult to find and allows you to plan your trip with its stops, its stages … All with a map that indicates everything and allows you to follow the route. “
In addition, it is also part of a responsible travel approach. “From an environmental point of view, cycling is a great way to travel. Also, in this idea, we want to be able to direct cycle tourists to local producers for their supplies. France is rich in landscapes and terroirs and we have the ambition to combine the two. “
In addition, Xavier affirms it, the application will remain free. “We remain transparent. The idea is that everyone can use it, the data generated is anonymized and we aggregate it to be able to offer cycling tourism expertise to local partners. Whether institutional, associative … “
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An evolving app
The first version will be available from this Sunday March 21. “This is not the final version. Many points still need to be worked on or improved. It’s a beginning. The more users we have who give feedback, the more we can refine the formula. And in addition to the improvements, we will try to release a new version each spring. “
First reserved for phones and tablets running the Android operating system, an IOS version should see the light of day. “It won’t happen right away, you have to take the time to develop it. ”
ViaEpona website: www.viaepona.com
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