Skip to main content

Cycling in chains?

In France an unusual cycle race has been held, for prisoners. Some 200 felons have been allowed out of the prison walls to race bicycles around the country, while under close watch from prison guards. This 2,300km race is no easy saunter around the park however, starting in the historic city of Lille, passing through 17 towns along the way and finishing in capital Paris. The aim of this unusual project is to help the men reintegrate into society by fostering values such as effort, teamwork and self-esteem,
February 29, 2012 Read time: 1 min
In France an unusual cycle race has been held, for prisoners. Some 200 felons have been allowed out of the prison walls to race bicycles around the country, while under close watch from prison guards. This 2,300km race is no easy saunter around the park however, starting in the historic city of Lille, passing through 17 towns along the way and finishing in capital Paris. The aim of this unusual project is to help the men reintegrate into society by fostering values such as effort, teamwork and self-esteem, according to the organisers.

Related Content

  • Building Georgia’s transport connections to its neighbours
    October 26, 2016
    Georgia’s government aspires to turn the country into a regional transport-transit hub, and with renovated and expanded transportation infrastructure it knows that the country can offer significant opportunities to others in the region, and globally – Gordon Feller writes The Caucasus Transit Corridor (CTC) is the key transit-route between Western Europe and Central Asia for oil and gas, as well as dry cargo. CTC is part of TRACECA (TRAnsport Corridor Europe to Central Asia). This is the shortest route
  • Unveiled on two wheels
    July 30, 2012
    A string of naked cycling protests have been held in Europe. Cyclists in the Spanish capital Madrid, the UK capital London and UK city Brighton took advantage of warm weather to ride their bicycle in the nude, protesting about the lack of facilities and poor safety standards. Police did not make arrests for nudity, although this would normally be illegal. No accidents were reported, which no doubt came as a relief for the event organisers and participants. The effect of gravel rash on unprotected skin is no
  • Repair the wear in historic Béarn
    February 29, 2012
    The former province of Béarn in south-western France is tucked away on the eastern side of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Steeped in history, its strategic location controls access to easy passage into the Pyrénées Mountains, and it is said that during the Napoleonic wars, Wellington's army passed through 'the Béarn,' where it won an important battle at Orthez and set up a garrison at Pau on its way to Spain.
  • Developments in hybrid vehicles
    February 27, 2012
    There is an array of future vehicle solutions in development - Mike Woof reports. Ever since Henry Ford's Model T showed that the motor car could provide transport for ordinary people rather than being an exclusive toy of the rich, vehicle numbers have exploded. In every country around the world, vehicle ownership continues to grow.