They only needed a handful of minutes to win Beijing Express: In the footsteps of the golden tiger . Jessica and Patricia, the Corsican colleagues, lost narrowly to Laura and Romain during the final in Hanoi, Vietnam, broadcast on Saturday May 4, 2024 on M6. “We arrived precisely five minutes and seventeen seconds after them. I will remember it all my life. Stephane [Rotenberg, ndlr] told us that he had never experienced such a close final »Patricia tells us.
“We had every chance”
This last day of competition started well for the Corsicans, who won the first intermediate sprint. “We were extremely focusedremembers Jessica. We knew that Romain and Laura were very strong but we weren’t afraid. We told ourselves that we had every chance but that we had no room for error. » But then they lost the other two sprints and a lot of money in their kitty. “It’s annoying because each time, we passed the tests but we were penalized by the stop sign”breathes Patricia, the great sportswoman of the duo.
Despite everything, the two friends didn’t give up during the last final sprint. “It was a big blow to our morale but we kept telling ourselves that victory was for us. So we fought like lionesses! » Their unfailing determination unfortunately did not allow them to win this season 18 of Beijing Express. “We gave everything so we have no regretsthey assure. It’s just bad luck because at the very end, we take a bad car and it wastes precious minutes. »
An adventure full of twists and turns
When they realized they were second, Jessica and Patricia didn’t react the same way. The first felt a huge disappointment. “I immediately thought of my children, I told myself that they were going to be extremely disappointed”explains the mother hen of 41 years. But she quickly found a smile again thanks to her partner. “There was no room for disappointmentlance Patricia. Above all, I was very proud of our journey and of us because we kept our values until the end. We still had a crazy adventure! »
Indeed. Eliminated at the gates of Malaysia by the formidable pair of unknowns, the Corsicans returned to the competition after the abandonment of Patrick and Myriam, suffering. Thanks to their great cohesion, those who have worked together for eight years managed to reach the final against the two Northerners. “We were given a second chance so we took it and kept it until the endlaughs Jessica. We really experienced this Beijing Express thoroughly and we will remember it for the rest of our lives. It was magical. »
“We are even more united than before”
For these office neighbors, do Beijing Express represented the opportunity to travel, to experience something out of the ordinary, to surpass their limits but also to test their friendship in an adventure on the other side of the world. And they managed to remain very united despite challenges which often made them lose their calm. “We are even more united than before”Jessica smiles, while Patricia struggles to find words to describe the bond that unites them. “It’s inexplicable, it’s so beautiful and sincere”she finally blurted out.
They never stopped encouraging and supporting each other during difficult times. “I cried every time I saw children because I thought of my two who are 4 and 10 years old. I had never left them before. The hardest thing for me was being away from them. The tests, compared to that, were nothing”, jokes Jessica. She could only call them every six days. “We only had three minutes, it was very short. But hey, today they are proud of me so it was worth it! »
Strong ties with other pairs
Back home, the Corsicans had no trouble getting back to their daily habits and rhythm. But not a day goes by without them talking about their adventure Beijing Expressduring which they discovered the sublime landscapes of Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. “As we work together, we talk about it all the time. It’s a bit like therapy.”says Jessica, laughing. “We are comfortable at home but if M6 reminds us, we jump on the plane »specifies his colleague, hilarious.
The two women are also very happy to have met the candidates for this season 18. They all get along very well and speak regularly on a WhatsApp group. “There was but it passedassure Patricia. We actually spoke to Louison on the phone not long ago. We love it. » They also really like Mahdy and Manu, Myriam and Patrick, Jérôme and Emma, Romain and Laura… Not forgetting the Swiss, who are planning to come see them in Corsica this summer. “We are like a big family, there is a very strong bond between us all”they conclude.