Lille, red bricks, art and innovation
Nathalie Reuter | 5. June 2025
Third day of our adventure and first immersion in northern France! Today, we cycled through history, urban design, nature and product innovation. Lille has more than one trick up its sleeve, and the igus:bike felt right at home. Discovery morning: Lille, a city of art and character.
We start the day with a trip to the heart of the capital of Flanders. First stop: the Grand’Place, the epicenter of Lille life, with its Flemish facades, rich architecture and the energy of the great cities of the north.
Then it’s on to the Hôtel de Ville and its famous Belfry, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, before a sweet break to taste Lille’s famous waffles!
The next stop is the Palais des Beaux-Arts, one of France’s largest museums.
Lunch break: the Welsh classic. Before getting down to business, we celebrate local gastronomy with a welsh gratin. An emblematic dish of the North, made with melted cheddar, bread, ham and beer: as comforting as it is energizing for the rest of our journey.
Afternoon at a sports giant: Décathlon It’s impossible to be in Lille without visiting Décathlon at the Btwin Village, for an afternoon resolutely focused on innovation! In this emblematic venue for cycling and soft mobility, two of our sales staff led a Techday rich in exchanges. On the program: presentation of the igus world, our polymer solutions and, of course, the star of the day: the igus:bike.
A real encounter between two worlds that speak to each other: that of sport and that of innovation. The result? Great exchanges, lots of testing, and great visibility for our sustainable, maintenance-free approach to mobility.
At the end of the day, we hit the road to Amiens, the next stop on our tour of France!
Riders of the day 🚴🏻
Fabrice BERNARD
“I’m working as outside sales for dry-tech since 2022. In private, I’m cycling a lot so I have a special affinity to the igus:bike and was happy to présent it to such a big customer as Decathlon !”
Philippe SCHOUTHEER
“I work in pair with Fabrice and sell e-chain products for igus since 2018. The timing with the techday was perfect, the igus:bike team gave a special touch to this appointment.’
