Traveling to watch their team play at the World Cup took a little longer than usual for two French fans. Mehdi Balamissa and Gabriel Martin decided the best way to travel from France to Qatar was on two wheels. The friends spent three months traveling 7,000 kilometers by bicycle to reach Qatar 2022 and watch their beloved France defend its title.
“It was a crazy idea, but we’re the kind of people that have big ideas and don’t want to have any regrets,” Balamissa said, as both spoke to CNN Sport a day after arriving in the country. “So, since we are both self-employed, we decided to block off three months of our time and come to Qatar.”
The pair started their mammoth (庞大的) journey at the Stade de France in Paris, home of the French national team, and finished at the stunning Lusail Stadium, the venue that will host the final at Qatar 2022. They would travel on average 115 kilometers per day, taking appropriate rest days when needed. They battled through the heat of the desert in Saudi Arabia as well as flooded woodland areas in Hungary as they made their winding way to Qatar, stopping off at campsites, lodges (乡间小舍) and hotels to sleep.
The idea came about after cycling from France to Italy to watch their country play in the UEFA Nations League last year and they wanted to test themselves with a much longer trip. They hoped their trip would promote the benefits of eco-friendly travel and said they plan to offer cycling workshops to children from disadvantaged backgrounds when they eventually arrive home.
The two cyclists encountered many problems along the way, including dozens of flat tires, but relied on their infectiously positive attitude to get them through. The pair laugh as they recall the time they had to travel 15 hours to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in order to find a bike repair shop before traveling 15 hours back to the exact point where they had stopped.
“We had many troubles, but we fixed them as we went,” Martin told CNN.
【小题1】Why did Balamissa and Martin go to Qatar?| A．To watch their country defending its champion. |
| B．To do cycling training. |
| C．To close off three months for no regrets. |
| D．To set them apart from the other fans. |
| A．They started the journey in Paris. |
| B．They traveled on a new route. |
| C．They experienced severe challenges in the journey. |
| D．They enjoyed fantastic scenery along the journey. |
| A．To benefit more from the cycling workshops. |
| B．To raise awareness of green tourism. |
| C．To explore the secrets and laws of nature. |
| D．To be involved in the UEFA Nations League. |
| A．Energetic and determined. | B．Cautious and smart. |
| C．Hard-working and kind. | D．Ambitious and considerate. |
