A sporting and human challenge
Chris Ballois has been the world record holder in speed sailing for disabled sailors since 2014. Head of Handiconsulting, he works within companies and public institutions to promote the integration of people with disabilities. This high level athlete is also the sponsor of the ASSEDEA association (French association for people with congenital limb deformities).
Passionate about kitesurfing and inhabited by the adrenaline that this sport gives him, Chris Ballois has decided to take on a new kitesurfing challenge in 2018. Last year, he had achieved with the strength of one arm (NDRL: He has been deprived of his left forearm since birth) his Inter-island Challenge Brittany between Brest and Lorient The route is 260 nautical miles (460 km).
A challenge in 3 steps and in duet
This year, he is taking on a new challenge: 3 stages in duo between Le Conquet and Saint-Malo in kitesurfing which should start on May 20th. For these 3 challenges, he will be accompanied by his training partners, who remained in the shadows last year. These 3 distinct stages should take place between the 20th of May and the end of June if the weather conditions are right. They can follow each other by a few days or, on the contrary, be spaced several days apart.
This year, unlike last year, he will not be accompanied in his challenge by the SNSM, busy on the Mille SNSM. But he will be able to count on the presence of his friends, who will take part in the challenge with him, each on his own kite.
Step 1 : More than 87 miles between Le Conquet and Roscoff (plus 140 km), in collaboration with Arnaud Troalen, router of the previous challenge and excellent kitesurfer.
Step 2 : More than 87 miles between Roscoff and Bréhat (more than 140 km), in collaboration with Franck Le Ven, a long time friend of Chris Ballois.
Step 3 : More than 56 miles between Bréhat and Saint-Malo in collaboration with Christophe Reischle, a seasoned sportsman who practices paddle, kite, windsurfing or cycling.
Each stage will take one day (4 hours minimum except for the last stage, which is shorter) and Chris and his teammate will be able to be tracked via real-time GPS tracking (from his mobile phone) on Facebook. Concerning safety, Chris and his partner will be equipped with a safety vest and will be able to trigger a specific button in case of problem, the GPS beacon indicating their position. Unlike last year, when a large part of the challenge was offshore, this year's challenge will be coastal. So they will never be within 300 m of the coast.
Light on the association ASSEDEA
Through this new challenge, Chris Ballois hopes to highlight the association of which he is the sponsor and which brings together people from the association and parents of children with agenesis (missing member at birth). Even today, there is still little research on this handicap, which nevertheless represents 1 case per day.
