Cyclingflash
Amazing! Grandchildren wheel cycling-crazy grandma (89) in hospital bed to Paris-Nice route

Amazing! Grandchildren wheel cycling-crazy grandma (89) in hospital bed to Paris-Nice route

Moving scenes from Paris-Nice. During Sunday’s final stage, an 89-year-old woman, lying in a hospital bed, watched the peloton pass by along the route. She was brought to the course by two grandchildren, who were assisted in their mission by a few volunteers.

The woman in question is the widow of Emmanuel Busto, who rode the Tour de France six times and the Vuelta a España once in the 1950s and 60s (he finished fifth in the 1959 Spanish stage race). Her husband passed away in 2017, but the widow remains a passionate cycling fan. However, her health no longer allows her to attend races in person as she can’t get out of her hospital bed.

A 200-kilo bed
Two of her grandchildren wanted to do something about that. "We had wanted to take her outside for months," writes one of them, Théo Busto, on Instagram. "The problem was that it was impossible for the two of us to do it alone, considering the weight of the bed: about 200 kilos!"

"But now the stars aligned perfectly. The weather was beautiful and – most importantly – there was a bike race passing by our house. The legendary Paris-Nice! Grandma has loved cycling all her life because grandpa was a cycling champion in the 60s who rode the Tour de France. To ensure grandma could fully enjoy the race, there was only one solution: find a few strong guys to lift the bed with grandma to the side of the road."

A long journey
The grandchildren found three other spectators willing to help. "We lifted the bed, carried it over the terrace, went down the stairs, crossed a gravel path, and then still had to roll her three hundred meters further to the spot where the race would pass."

Théo points out that the volunteers helped despite possibly being late to get back to the course by the time the caravan had passed. "But luckily: we arrived just in time, a few minutes before the first riders appeared! It was a magical moment, one year after she had last been outside. She couldn’t believe her eyes. What a beautiful moment, and what solidarity!"