He came to spread the message of life and generate a positive attitude in the minds of cancer-affected and disabled people across India, but yesterday, just hours after he had set foot in the city, he was relieved
of his lovingly maintained journal and photographs clicked during his bicycle journey across 16 countries.
Vincent Bernard (31), a French cyclist and cancer survivor who embarked on a bicycle tour across Europe and Asia in 2010, says he arrived at the Gateway of India from Alibaug on a ferry last morning and walked to a cybercafe in town.
Vincent Bernard, a French cyclist who embarked on a bicycle tour across Europe and Asia in 2010, was upset after the theft of his journal and photographs
He said he had with him an entire manuscript and photographs of his journey, beginning from Brest in France on August 21, 2010. He had kept the manuscript in his travel bag while he was busy working on a terminal at the cafe.
After some time, when he was about to leave the cybercafe, he saw the chain of his bag open and the manuscript missing. Bernard made enquires with the cybercafe people, but in vain.
The Frenchman has toured 16 countries, covering almost 25,000 kilometres on his bicycle to spread his message. He has travelled through Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tibet, China and Nepal.
He entered India from Nepal, via Raxaul, on his bicycle in the second week of January. Bernard was dejected and upset after the theft of his journal and photographs.
“I am new to Mumbai and do not know whom to approach and I am not sure if the police will even entertain my complaint. All I can say is that I have lost my trust in this city. I came here to spread a positive message, but I am upset,” he said.
“Throughout my journey, I met different people even in India and they were all helpful and good, but Mumbai did not impress me; here people do not value the feelings and sentiments of others.”
Born on December 18, 1980, in Macon, France, Vincent did his engineering in oceanography. During this time he was detected with lymphoma, a type of cancer, and underwent treatment at various hospitals.
He claims that he wanted to become a mountaineer and in 2004, he tried to climb the Alps but slipped from a height of 80 metres and was comatose for a long time. It took over a year for him to recover from the accident.
That was not the end of mishaps in his life. In 2008, he met with another accident and fractured his limbs.
Finally, he decided to do something for mankind and came up with the idea of travelling through different countries on a bicycle, spreading positive energy by talking to disabled and cancer-affected people.
“My aim is to encourage those with disabilities and people suffering from cancer, to wipe out the fear of death from their minds. I try to boost the morale of people as I travel across the world on my cycle,” he said.
“In my last 18 months of travel, I have met different people with different cultural values across 16 countries, and I am overwhelmed by the positive response that I got everywhere.”
On how he funded his journey, Vincent claimed he had got 15 sponsors in France who had financed him for his cause.
And about his future plans, he said he was now focused on completing his bicycle tour. “I have already covered Jharkhand and Goa before reaching Alibaug and, from there, Mumbai. I have a flight for London from Mumbai on March 14. My bicycle trip will conclude in the UK and then I will return to France.
I hope someone will help me get back my manuscript,” he said, adding, “I aim to make a documentary after returning to France, which will be dedicated to all the people I met across my journey, which has transformed me as a human being today.”
—Agencies