"The Pink'couz": Two Stéphanaises in the desert - the city of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray

O’Reilly and Melanie prepare for the Cup of Roses des Sables in October in Morocco. The first for Saint-Etienne cousins.

In 2024, for Aurélie Le Maire and Melanie Herrison, Pink October will be blue and gold. Blue as the sky and golden as the Moroccan desert, they will set off on an old Land Rover 4×4 to participate for the first time in the Roses of Sands Cup. Created in 2000, this rally is intended for women, and is an orienteering race that lasts about ten days, in which participants (about 150 teams of two) have to cover a distance of 5,000 kilometers, using a compass and a route booklet. For fun and adventure, but also for a good cause, or rather good reasons. The crew must collect money, which will be distributed among associations such as Ruban Rose and the Red Cross. The vehicles will leave France loaded with school and hygiene materials, and will be delivered on site to the Desert Children Association, which works for access to health and education. “We want to do this rally first and foremost for acts of solidarity, as breast cancer has affected the women in our family and close friends,” says Melanie, wearing a pink ribbon and pink scarf. O’Reilly (wearing a pink Cup jersey) could have given the same answer. The two women are cousins, their mothers are twin sisters, they are clearly alike and clearly in collusion. We meet them in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray at the family home where Melanie grew up and where Aurélie lives and works today (she opened her own hair salon there).

Support from loved ones

The idea to participate in the Cup of Roses des Sables initially came from O’Reilly, who went last year to finally meet a friend. During a long car ride with Melanie, they made their decision. Without any experience in gathering but with the support of loved ones and some assets. The friend who won the Roses des Sables last year lent them her car, an SUV with no steering wheel or air conditioning, but small and powerful. Aurélie has visited Morocco several times, she loves driving and feels like an adventurer. Melanie has never traveled far beyond the borders of France, and she loves it when it’s square. They complement each other, know each other well and could not have imagined a better pair to embark on this adventure.

Since signing, O’Reilly and Melanie have been preparing (there’s a leadership course in the program) and working hard to raise money and donations. They mobilize their friendly and professional network, organize evenings and sales and are still looking for sponsors. “We work together, our customers support us and participate. Everyone is playing the game, it’s great. But getting the money back is complicated, there are a lot of requests.” Peace to the wise.