Raid Gauloises
Spie Recruits A Spare… We Talk To The New Team Member
Chris/Raid Gauloises / 28.04.2002
Fredo Binh, born in Paris 35 years ago to a Vietnamese mother, came back to Vietnam in 1994, after picking up his credentials in kayaking, to start his own specialised tourism and trekking business, ‘Bourlingue Compagnie’. Now he is about to discover what it is like to be on the receiving end of things.
Already an integral part of the Raid Gauloises, he has been following the teams for about two months now and was originally contacted by the organisation four months ago to play the role of “go between�, providing inside information regarding the equipment available in Hanoi.
News travels fast in the Raid Gauloises and, after helping teams Foncia-Moulin Rouge, VSD-Eider and Air France stock up on pots and pans and medical items, it was only natural that he heard tell of a problem with Spie. “I offered to help them out and they accepted. That’s how I came to be thrown into an adventure, the existence of which was completely unknown to me only a few months ago.�
A confirmed mountain trekker with a wealth of local knowledge at his disposal, he is very aware of the gap that separates him mentally from his newfound team mates. “I’m always in the mountains but not at all for the same reasons as the others. Personally, when I am working there really is not any reason to go fast, quite the contrary. However, this time I will have to give it all I have.
His first idea was not to race but to be part of the assistance and help the team with equipment and logistics but, after sizing him up the team decided differently. “The other team members seem mentally robust and that has the advantage of helping them communicate. I could be very useful to them on certain stretches of the course, especially the first trekking section, which I could do blindfold.
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