One of the students at IAE Aix-Marseille, Luc Montigaud, suffers from a rare disability: dystonia. To highlight his illness, he embarked on an ambitious project: to complete a tour of France in 99 days, between running and cycling. Business Cool presents its initiative to you!
What is dystonia?
Dystonia is a neurological disease. Concretely, it is when the brain sends bad signals that it is impossible to control, leading to prolonged and very strong contractions of certain muscles. Depending on the attacks and the patients, muscle contractions can last from a few minutes to several hours and be particularly painful.
Although the disease can sometimes be cured, once the origin can be identified, a certain number of patients are only administered medications that alleviate the symptoms.
Who is Luc, the student suffering from dystonia at the origin of this Tour de France?
Currently in M2 Marketing and Management of Service Activities at IAE Aix-Marseille, Luc Montigaud has suffered from dystonia since birth. In his case, this disease manifests itself as a disorder of motor skills and eloquence.
But far from letting himself be defeated by the illness, he made it his strength and fought against his symptoms to achieve his ambitions: he participated in numerous sporting events (starting with the Orange Velodrome Trail) and follows a prestigious educational path. But it is to go further in his sporting ambitions that the “Autour de Lucio” project was born.
The project is a continuation of his student journey: while he discovered entrepreneurship during his degree, he launched the project in parallel with his degree. After a long time of organization, he made it his project to replace the compulsory internship.
What will Luc’s Tour de France look like?
From September 3, 2023, Luc will therefore have to cross France in less than 99 days, with a route divided into 76 stages. At each of these stages, he will have to cover 10 kilometers running and nearly 40 kilometers cycling.
In total, nearly 3,200 kilometers will be covered by the student: starting from the Provence Alpes Côte-d’Azur region, he will pass through the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region, crossing the entire east of France until to reach the Hauts-de-France region. It then goes back down to the capital, before taking a turn towards Brittany and returning to the PACA region after having followed the Atlantic coast.
Also read: Social openness: MBS launches the MBS Handicap scholarship
Why a Tour de France for dystonia?
The project has multiple objectives: in addition to raising awareness of the disease and collecting donations, the idea is also to raise awareness among the population about the inclusion of people with disabilities at work. The student says he wishes to highlight with his project “ that the recruitment of people with disabilities is not a hindrance but an opportunity! “. Welcomed like any other student by the IAE, Luc Montigaud shows through his project that he is just as capable as any of his classmates, and that he is capable of pushing the boundaries of what is possible!
If you want to know more, we strongly advise you to consult the project websitewhere you will find all the additional information not to be missed!
