There is a stretch of the A6, in the South-East of France along the Rhone valley that has seen an unusual number of disappearances over the years. In this first episode, we’ll visit the Christelle Maillery disappearance.
Episode 76: The Disappeared of the A6 part 1 The Christelle Maillery Affair
I’m an American woman. I recently came across these stories on the A6 disappearances and it prompted me to write about an experience I had in the summer of 1995 (Sept 5/6) in that A6 region. I had been bicycling solo in France from Paris to Grenoble, up to Geneve, and then back toward Paris. I was just a few kms west of Nuits-St. George on route D8 when I was assaulted by a man in a small black car with suction-cup stuffed animals stuck to the window. He taunted me for several kms and then stopped his car and trapped me on a quiet stretch of road in a forested area. The man was in his 20s, fit, short, cropped hair, jeans, t-shirt, tennis shoes, and wire rimmed glasses. He grabbed my bicycle and attempted to kiss me. He was intense, calm-violent, angry with me saying he was going to teach me a lesson. He didn’t speak any English. I was able to get free and hailed an approaching car who kindly drove me and my bicycle to Nuits-St. Georges. I was shaken. I never reported it. I wanted distance from that person and managed to summon the courage to continue riding toward Paris.
Hello there,
You’re brave to share your horrific experience, single women travelling on their own are always so vulnerable at the best of times, but on a bike is even worse. I hope that hasn’t put you off coming back to France.
Melanie