The Breath Passes

The Breath Passes (Les Cols du Souffle) is a solidarity project created to raise awareness of bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare and serious lung disease that makes breathing difficult for children. It took the form of a sporting challenge: Papy Robert, 67, grandfather of Gabriel, who lives with this disease, cycled across the Alps from 8 to 24 August 2026, from Belleville-en-Beaujolais to Nice.

Challenge completed: 925 km, 19,420 m of elevation gain, 19 mountain passes and 16 stages, all the way to the finish in Nice on 24 August 2026.

Stage after stage, the ride got people talking about the disease far beyond the families it affects: in the towns along the route, on social media and in the news, from regional newspapers to television. The articles and reports are gathered on our Press page.

Thank you to everyone who welcomed, cheered on and followed Papy Robert, and to the partners who made this challenge possible.

The challenge was supported by AFPIE, the French association for childhood interstitial lung diseases, which helps families affected by rare lung diseases in children: support, medical conferences and help for research.

The route and the day-by-day story of the challenge remain online: lescolsdusouffle.com