"The Future Does Not Belong to Cars": Trail Running Champion Xavier Thévenard Leads Race Against Haute-Savoie Motorway Project

Mounting Opposition to the A412 Motorway Project

Three-time Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) winner and ultra-trail running champion Xavier Thévenard has called for broad mobilization against the A412 motorway project by organizing a debate-run on November 14 in the municipality of Machilly, located in the Haute-Savoie department.

Spanning 16.5 kilometers to connect the municipalities of Thonon-les-Bains and Machilly along Lake Geneva, the project has sparked widespread anger reminiscent of protests against the A69 motorway in the Tarn department. The proposed asphalt strip faces legal challenges and ongoing grassroots actions from citizen collectives, farmers, and local residents, coinciding with preparatory deforestation work.

"The Future Does Not Belong to Cars"

The French runner described the project as "irrational and outdated," emphasizing the urgent need to halt environmentally destructive activities. Thévenard explained that the ecological damage does not affect local residents alone, but impacts the entire planet as the threat of the sixth mass extinction looms.

Thévenard pointed out that the motorway will devour vast swathes of agricultural land, asserting firmly that "you can't eat asphalt." He added that building this highway is a strategic mistake because "the future does not belong to cars," arguing that priority should be given to planting trees and preventing water pollution, which taxpayers would ultimately have to finance to treat and purify once again.

Sport as a Tool for Awareness and Open Dialogue

Aiming to place sports in service of civic engagement, Thévenard, alongside a group of runners, organized an approximately 10-kilometer run interspersed with stops to exchange views and understand future challenges. The initiative is backed by environmental and union coalitions, including the "Stop A412" collective, France Nature Environnement, and the Confédération paysanne.

Organizers emphasized their desire to welcome even supporters of the project to engage in constructive dialogue and hear diverse perspectives. Thévenard stressed that athletes are citizens like anyone else with rights and responsibilities, insisting that sportspersons should not remain silent on crucial environmental issues affecting the quality of life and the future of upcoming generations.