Adrien Van Beveren Wins Enduropale du Touquet Beach Race

Dakar Rally rider Adrien Van Beveren collects his third consecutive Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais victory.

Although Van Beveren had already won the race twice before, his 2016 win marked the first time that a Dakar rider has ever won the

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France’s Adrien Van Beveren, who finished sixth in the 2016 Dakar Rally, made history on a French beach Sunday as he won the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais for the third time in a row.

The epic race of the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais is known for its extreme conditions, tough races and stormy weather, and this year’s race provided all of it. Anticipation for the Yamaha Racing Yamalube Drag’On Tek to collect his third consecutive Enduropale du Touquet win, and Van Beveren did not disappoint, getting off to a fast start and completing the two-lap distance for the win ahead of fellow Yamaha riders Axel Van de Sande and Camille Chapeliere, giving Yamaha a sweep of the podium.

“I am so happy, you can’t imagine what I am feeling now,” Van Beveren said. “This Enduropale race was probably the hardest one to win but also the one I wanted the most to win… and that made all the difference. You can’t win all the time, but when you win like this, it is so good! I competed during 10 000 kilometres on the Dakar Rally; here I needed to stand firm for only three hours on Le Touquet’s sand beach.”

Van Beveren said that competing in the Dakar Rally changes a rider’s outlook.

“You are not exactly the same anymore,” he said. “The way I am dealing with the difficulty and my ability to go beyond myself completely changed. The fact that I am participating in new extremes competitions makes me stronger. The Enduropale du Touquet is such an important race for me. It represents a lot in my career. This beach is my place, and the crowd is amazing.”

Van de Sande showed a lot of pose in keeping pace with Van Beveren for the the distance, ultimately finishing second in the race.

“We worked so much all year long with my coach Sébastien Sagot, and I am so happy with the result today,” Van de Sande said. “Our efforts paid off! It was a tough race, with the rain and the wind, the visibility was bad but I had to keep the tempo up, avoid risks and give everything until the end. I finished in second position and Adrien Van Beveren is winning. This is great! This guy is a champion, and this victory is good for him. I will be back again here stronger next year.”

Chapeliere claimed his first podium ever at the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais, third place.

“It is a good third place that has a special meaning for me because it is my first podium ever on the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais,” he said. “At the same time I become French Sand Champion! It is a huge investment every day to manage to get to this level and I would like to thank all the people who supported me during the whole season. I am very happy and I will be back with the number one plate next year.”

2016 Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais
Le Touquet-Paris Plage, France
Results: January 31, 2016

Overall
1. Adrien Van Beveren-Yam
2. Axel Van de Sande-Yam
3. Camille Chapeliere-Yam
4. Steve Ramon-Suz
5. Arnaud Degousee-KTM
6. Jean-Claude Mousse-Yam
7. Yentel Martens-Hus
8. Arnaud Demeester-She
9. Damien Prevot-KTM
10. Timothee Florin-Yam
11. Julien Tournessi-KTM
12. Victor Brossier-Yam
13. Tom Lahousse-Yam
14. Yves Deudon-Kaw
15. Thierry Klutz-KTM
16. Romain Dumontier-Yam
17. Marshall Meplon-Yam
18. Ceriel Klein Kromhoff-Hon
19. Sergei Potisek-Yam
20. Eddy Mollon-Yam