- Nordist Axel Alletru will line up for the first time in his career on the Dakar 2020.
- A real feat for this young man of 29 who became paraplegic after a fall in motocross in 2010.
- He tells of his incredible resilience.
He's the kind of guy who commands respect. The kind of guy you think of when you want to put your problems into perspective. Because fate has not spared Axel Alletru. The Northerner will be one of the attractions of the Dakar 2020 which starts this Sunday January 5 in Saudi Arabia. If not among the favorites, the 29-year-old buggy driver has incredible resilience that can make him move mountains. Promised for a great motocross career, the one who was vice-world junior champion of the discipline saw his destiny change on June 27, 2010, the day he became paraplegic.
“I fell during the Latvian Grand Prix which made me lose the use of my legs. The doctors then predicted that I would have a wheelchair for life. But I did two years of rehabilitation in Lille and I managed to recover my quadriceps and my psoas which allows me today to get up on crutches and splints. I can walk 1.2 or even 3 kilometers. My big victory was to be able to walk again not by miracle, but because I recovered a small part of my legs which I was able to exploit to its maximum, ”says Axel.
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First test with our SSV machine. François and I were able to find our marks quickly on the circuit. A first conclusive test. We still have a lot of work to adapt the car further before the container leaves on December 3 for the Dakar. What a pleasure to be back behind the wheel again. We will be at the start of the Dakar 2020 a huge challenge already to leave. Thanks again to our partners who share all our values in this project # jepeux2020 #CommuniquerGrand #LightAir #groupequintesens #laplusbelledesvictoires #motoblouz #enjoytheride #impactonslemonde #talentdigital @light_air_fr @groupequintesens @motoblouz @agencedps @coloplast @ talent.digital @monaban
A post shared by Conférencier & Athlète (@axelalletru) on Nov 22, 2019 at 12:26 am PST
He misses the Paralympic Games in Rio on a new stroke of fate
Having the doctors lie is not the champion's only feat. Obliged to change his life, the young man relaunched himself in sport to rebuild himself. No more motocross, place for disabled swimming where the athlete will collect the medals. “We had to accept to start from scratch, to learn to swim again only with the strength of our arms. From there, I built a team and we became champion of France twelve times and winner of the European Master Games ”, details the disabled champion.
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On the way for another week of training. We have nothing for nothing, don't we? Even if sometimes the desire is to stay in bed warm chaud! @nabaiji # jepeux2020
A post shared by Conférencier & Athlète (@axelalletru) on Dec 1, 2019 at 11:59 pm PST
But two months before reaching his dream of participating in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, fate is still playing a bad blow to him. At the last moment, Axel Alletru fell into a lower handicap category. "There is a misunderstanding because they see me standing. But in the water, I have no propulsion. Except that there has been so much abuse in the past that I changed my category and I ended up with people with much lighter disabilities. So, no qualifiers, no Games and more morale.
Pedals suitable for driving on the Dakar
But with this new setback, Axel Alletru says stop to disabled sports. His next challenge, he will seek it in a valid sport. This is how his project to participate in the Dakar 2020 was born. "More than being a Paralympic champion, I told myself that the most important thing was to inspire other people and give back hope."
After testing himself on the Morocco rally, Alletru convinced himself that he could ride for two weeks and 8,000 kilometers on the Saudi sand. Accompanied by a team of experienced Northerners and François Béguin his Belgian co-driver, he will benefit from medical assistance on the course but it will be he who will control the buggy using suitable pedals.
“I accelerate with my right foot and I brake with my left foot. I have a pedal clipped to the accelerator and a much wider brake pedal. It allows me to have an almost valid position without having the steering wheel controls. Even if I have no sensitivity in the legs, I prefer to have this behavior on the foot, "details Axel Alletru
Convey a message of hope
This 300,000 euro project also carries a message on social networks. Via the hashtag # Jepeux2020, the Northerner wants to push people to surpass themselves. A philosophy that Axel has been transmitting for several years as a speaker for companies or institutions.
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I am often asked how my conferences are going, I take you in this video behind the scenes of one of my conferences. The fun, the stress, the team, the impact, it's all in there. # speaker #resilience #inspiration # jepeux2020 With @ talent.digital & @versmeebenjamin Discover the full episode -> Link in the bio 🎥
A post shared by Conférencier & Athlète (@axelalletru) on Dec 17, 2019 at 1:22 am PST
Through his example, he seeks to show all those who have worse shots that we can always get away with it. “I receive a lot of messages from people who thank me for bringing them energy. It could be a cancer patient, a battered woman, a divorced or even a child who had a 9/20 at school. ”
People in difficulty who risk being further amazed by the desire of the Northerner who will not aim for victory in general but dreams of doing well during certain stages. Even if being at the start of this Dakar is already a huge success.
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- motocross
- Lille
- Accident
- Pilot
- Paris Dakar
- Sport
- handicap