Untz untz Cédric, could you please introduce yourself for us?
My name is Cédric Tassan, I'm 47 years old. I'm married with two children, and I live in the south of France, in Saint-Pierre-sur-Mer. I'm an engineer by training, but I've never practised... I set up my own publishing company, Véthopo, in 2005. We produce mountain biking, climbing and road bike guidebooks.
Then I created photo and video content, and then shared all my cycling adventures on social networks. Sponsors came, and side projects were set up, such as film and documentary production, and partnerships. Today, I live off my work as a publisher and the funding from my sponsors.
" I want to explore pure, no-track paths"
In recent years, you've been on a number of high-profile adventures. Can you tell us about them?
It's mainly thanks to my trips to Central Asia that I've become known. I think they appealed because I went off on my own to Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Adak... places where I filmed myself alone, carried my own equipment, and experienced intense resilience.
"What I'm looking for is encounters"
These adventures are pure exploration , with no organization behind me to support me, film me, and give me food in the evening, as some adventurers would have you believe. I really don't like this kind of lie, which consists in selling dreams without any authenticity, and I think people liked that I was transparent and real.
Are you always alone on your adventures?
No, I meet people, of course. What I'm really interested in is meeting other people and sharing. I don't go looking for destinations like Antarctica or the Arctic, where encounters are rare. I prefer going through villages, meeting shepherds, and sometimes even trekkers. But I can go two days without seeing anyone.
I also have a **support team **who drop me off at a point and pick me up at the exit. So I've got contacts, and I sometimes get help if a stage is too difficult. For example, in Tajikistan, for the first few days when I left with five days of autonomy without food or a stove, I took on a guide with a horse to carry hot water and food. This help is punctual and targeted, part of the adventure.
" In Tajikistan, I found myself confronted with colossal difficulties"
Was riding there complicated? I imagine desert plains...
Kazakhstan is a fairly flat country, with long distances to cover. But it's not always easy because I plot my own routes, without relying on pre-existing information... there's often little data on the ground, and I don't try to follow routes already done by others.
What interests me is exploration with a capital E. Even if, today, it's difficult to find unexplored territories, I try to create my own paths. For example, when I crossed the Mangystar desert in Kazakhstan, I covered over **600 km **following tracks I'd spotted on aerial view. I create my route without knowing what I'm going to encounter, whether it's sand or anything else, so there's no predictable information...
Has there ever been really hostile territory, where you wondered how you were going to get ahead?
Yes...In Tajikistan, it was totally different, even though I used the same method to create my route. I found myself confronted with colossal difficulties, where being on a bike was almost heresy.
My bike quickly became dead weight to lug around for days on end, in an ultra-hostile environment, at altitudes of up to 5000 meters.
There were no paths, only blocks the size of cars, sometimes smaller, to cross for days on end...
This turned into a real test of resilience, where I had to **imperatively work on myself **and accept that I no longer had a choice.
" In adventure, mental strength is essential"
What have been your greatest fears during your adventures?
I don't really have any fears, but moments of intense doubt . In Kazakhstan, for example, I found myself alone in the desert, with 600 kilometers to cover.
My team had dropped me off on a rocky outcrop, 80 kilometers from the first town. Once I was alone, I felt an enormous void . I had to concentrate and adapt, taking photos and looking for my starting point to calm my doubts.
Another difficult situation was crossing a river in Tajikistan. Rivers there are unpredictable and extremely dangerous. I spent an hour looking for a safe place, to no avail. Finally, I found a less powerful branch of the river and managed to cross. These moments of doubt are intense, but they're part of the adventure.
How do you work on your mental state in these extreme conditions?
Every action is millimeterized to avoid accidents. I have to master every detail, because I'm alone and far from everything.
To work on my mind, I focus on resilience and the ability to live in discomfort. Many people focus on their physical condition, but in adventure, mental strength is just as essential.
You have to learn to push your limits, whether it's resisting the cold or the pain. For example, I often choose to stay in shorts and a t-shirt in cool weather to reinforce my tolerance of extreme conditions.
The important thing is to develop a rustic mentality capable of adapting to any situation. Unlike those who train like Formula 1 and break as soon as they leave their optimal environment, I strive to remain flexible and resilient. This enables me to keep going even when the going gets tough, by not letting discomfort stop me.
What has been your greatest encounter?
The people I've met in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan share an incredible benevolence and generosity.
This is both cultural and religious, thanks in particular to their practice of Islam, which is very open to foreigners. The Ismailis of Tajikistan, for example, are exceptionally tolerant of women, nature and foreigners, without proselytizing. Their approach is linked to zoroastrism, with a deep connection to nature and fire. It's extraordinary.
How do they differ from our Western cultures?
I think the main difference is their sense of transmission. They welcome and share everything they've learned, like people who pass on knowledge. We've lost this openness back home, where individualism dominates.
But I believe we can regain this quality by communicating more. Human beings must share their experiences and knowledge, like an open house with windows where the air circulates freely.
You train young people in mountain biking and often take your children on bike trips. Why is it important to pass on a love of movement to your children?
Passing on a taste for movement to my children is crucial for me. Movement is essential to life; it keeps the body healthy and promotes regeneration.
In our modern society, we are often sedentary, spend long hours sitting and use the car for short journeys.
Encouraging my children to walk or cycle enables them to develop healthy habits and discover the world in a different way.
For example, we often go on adventures on foot, with a light backpack and no phone, which teaches them to appreciate physical effort and shared experiences.
These moments strengthen our family bond and distance them from technological distractions, helping them to reconnect with nature and their own bodies.
