On bicycle from Paris to India via Oman

With a motto to save the earth from degeneration and increase the organic content in soil as a means of the existence of all living creatures, a French woman has been pushing the cycle pedals for more than 15,000 kilometres. She arrived in Muscat enroute India from France.

Nathalie Masse, a psychologist by profession and a passionate cyclist since childhood, has always wanted to educate her surroundings about the importance of saving the soil and to keep it as fertile and diverse as it is today. She embarked upon the journey that covers more than 15,000 kilometres from the origin to the final destination.

“It was an alarm call if we don’t take action now, we will have difficulty in the next 40 years and we will be inadvertently putting the next generations, our children, in danger,” Natghalie quoted Sadhguru, who inspired her to take up the cause of the earth .

Inspired by the speech of Indian environmentalist Sadhguru, Natghalie embarked upon the tour on June 21 in London after Sadhguru launched his ‘Save Soil’ campaign, which will conclude in February 2023 in the Indian state of Coimbatore.

“My journey, ‘Wheels for Soil’ is an effort to complement his call through ‘Save Soil’ an initiative to address soil crisis, because it is the means of existence for at least 3.5 billion people as it preserves clean water and helps regulate the climate,” she adds.

Save Soil is a global movement that aims to address the soil crisis by bringing together people from around the world to stand up for ‘Soil Health’, and supporting leaders of all nations to institute national policies and actions toward the cause.

“We are facing a huge threat by our own actions as soil degradation can reduce agricultural yields and threaten farmers’ livelihoods. The same soil provides plenty of free services to the whole planet. It puts food on our plates, purifies our water, protects us against flooding and combats drought. And I was really shocked to listen to the environmentalist which triggered a thought in me and here I am,” she said.

After visiting many countries including France, Ankara, Bulgaria, and Islamabad, and pedalling her bicycle and travelling by air for more than 15,000 kilometres, she arrived in the Sultanate of Oman, which is her ninth country. Her single-woman journey will conclude in India, the 10th stop.

@kabeeryousef