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Frédéric de Lanouvelle is not your typical ‘girl dad’... he's a cool dad. 😎
To celebrate his daughter's 16th birthday, he decided to embark on an adventure with her where they discovered their home country whilst getting a positive message out to the world.
From 16 to 31 August, Frédéric and Mathilde de Lanouvelle biked across France for a distance of 2,162 km (1,343 mi) to create the world's largest GPS drawing by bicycle (team).
The amazing duo rode on a tandem bicycle all around the country in the shape of... a heart! ❤️
The super-dad explained: “I'd drawn this heart a long time ago and I wanted to do it by bike and for a good cause.
“When I saw the [previous record of a] 1025 km dinosaur, […] I immediately suggested that my daughter try it with me.
It was an opportunity to share with her a magnificent challenge full of strong values and to help the Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque association, whose logo is a heart and which saves children with heart malformations.
“We managed to raise over €26,000 (£22,546 / $27,335), which will help saving 2 children.”
Frédéric has four daughters, but don't think that Mathilde gets any special treatment...
“I take each of them on an adventure with me when they turn 16. I'm obviously very close to them, but these experiences continue to strengthen our bond.
“I took my eldest daughter to take part in the Marathon des Sables. A 250-km run in the Sahara in Morocco, completely self-sufficient. She loved it!
“For Mathilde, my second daughter, I was looking for another unique adventure.
The aim was to introduce them to the values of surpassing themselves, adventure and nature.
“We'd already done a 600-km trip on a tandem bike and really enjoyed it. The advantage of the tandem bike is that the strongest can help the weakest. It's really a team effort.”
Frédéric and Mathilde are both into sports. Mathilde, specifically, loves athletics - a group of sports that includes competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking! 🤾♀️🤸🏼♀️
And you? What's your favourite sport?
Frédéric is very proud of Mathilde: “She was exceptional!”, he told us.
Of course, like most record-breaking challenges, their adventure also had its difficulties.
“On day 6, we had a major technical problem,” the dad revealed. “We broke the chain, the derailleur gear and part of the bike's frame cracked. We thought it was all over.
“But the people around us mobilised in an extraordinary way and we managed to repair everything within a day. We even had the frame welded back together!
This trip was also an opportunity to rediscover the kindness of people.
So, what was their favourite part of the experience?
According to Frédéric, it was all about making memories: “We talked and laughed a lot. These are indelible memories for us.
“Sharing the values of personal challenge, adventure and the beauty of the landscapes we crossed with as many people as possible in the media and on social networks gave us a real boost.”
It really sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. 😍
According to the duo, this record is unique because it promotes the values of commitment, sport, solidarity and family. 🙏🏻
They are both happy and proud to have broken a world record, even though they also think it’s “quite a strange feeling” to achieve something so “legendary”.
I mean, it's pretty incredible to be the best in the world at something, isn't it?! 🤩
Are you a young record enthusiast who dreams of gaining a record title?
Check out our Young Achievers page, full of young peeps like you who turned their passion into record breaking... and start thinking about what YOUR record could be! 👀
Congratulations to Frédéric and Mathilde on achieving a Guinness World Records title and, most importantly, on raising money for such an important cause...
You are Officially Amazing!