Let’s set the scene: the legendary Gorges du Verdon, with their breathtaking cliffs and turquoise water straight out of a postcard. Add to this dream setting the very best in kayaking: by their palmarès, our four kayakers are part of the international elite. The next two days will bring together two generations of athletes, ultra-light boats, rugged, steep trails and a touch of vintage flair. High-level sport and committed cycling: welcome to the Caravan adventure.

Our Caravan team is built on the idea of bringing together six male and female athletes, elite competitors in very different disciplines, and to unite them all in cycling, in all its forms. For them, it's a vital part of their physical and mental training.

Angèle Hug, newly arrived in the Caravan team, was a silver medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and is part of the new wave of French kayaking. She’s just come back from the European Championships, where barely a week ago she took home two new silver medals – one in the team slalom and one in individual cross. For this trip into the Verdon, she has brought along her adventure partner Coline Charel, with whom she's shared many years of kayaking, and two seasoned champions: Etienne Hubert and Cyrille Carré. These two intense days will be a chance for Etienne, a multi-titled kayaker, to symbolically hand over the reins to the Caravan team to Angèle. There'll be no formal passing of the torch: for these guys, pedaling and paddling are equally meaningful.

The challenge they have chosen for Angèle's debut is a little out of the ordinary: a cycle to the departure point, then paddling a remote section of the Verdon where tourists rarely venture alone, running the rapids with bikes loaded on board their Hultra packrafts. Twenty kilometres' descent is nothing to these hardened kayakers, even heavily loaded, but the boats are also amazing: super compact, reliable and stable, and only a few kilos in weight, they open up exciting possibilities. Even for champions used to high-performance gear, the fun is real. They laugh as they tried out this new discipline, experimenting with a few stylish moves. A controlled descent, boats landing smoothly. The packrafts will stay here. The next leg of the journey is by bike.

The second unusual feature of the adventure, without doubt, is the bike Angèle has chosen. A twenty-year-old mountain bike, with suspension that belongs in a museum. Who says you need the latest tech to enjoy the ride? “It works,” she repeats like a mantra. By day’s end, after 40 kilometres and over 1,700 metres of rocky climbing, the 29ers and gravel bikes around her look tempting. Everyone's energy output was not equal: the recent advances in bike tech clearly have their perks. Usually a road rider, she’s now caught the trail bug and she quietly resolves to look into a more capable off-road bike next time.

Mont Chiran, the second-highest peak in the Préalpes du Verdon, stands at 1,905 metres. The small refuge that greets the team at the top sits next to a tiny astronomical observatory. A strong wind is blowing when the group arrives. The meal prepared by the wardens tastes Michelin-starred after the sheer effort of the climb. Afterwards, Cyrille pulls a bottle of Ratafia from his bag. Everyone has their own priorities and definition of minimalism when bikepacking; he chose to treat the group and carry an extra kilo. Everyone will sleep well.

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Seventy kilometres to cover on the second day. The bikes tear into the trails. The comparison to whitewater is obvious. “Reading the trail is like reading the water: if you hesitate, if you’re scared, you mess it up. You’ll end up swallowing water or flying over your handlebars. You have to trust yourself.” Etienne is pleased that everyone made it through the descent. The last stretch hugs the Lac du Castillon for a good fifteen kilometres. That turquoise shimmer below stirs up thoughts of a swim – a very quick one, since the water’s still quite cold. “Is this really the best prep with just six days to go before the World Cup, Angèle?” Not really, she admits—but, “it’s such an amazing experience, and if you don’t do something like this in a post-Olympic year, you never will!”