The third stage of the 2025 Dakar was an emotional rollercoaster for Adrien van Beveren. The Monster Energy Honda rider even feared having to retire from the race due to a crash. He finished 11th on the stage and is now in eighth place overall, 16m24s behind the leader, Daniel Sanders (Red Bull KTM).
The Frenchman explained to the Dakar website that he tried to ride alongside a teammate, matching his pace: ‘Tosha [Schareina] made a mistake after four kilometres and he was starting in front of me. He was getting back on track when I caught up with him. I knew he was going to go on all-out attack and that he can be quick in the rocks, so I tried to ride at his pace. I rode behind him at a reasonable distance, but I didn’t want to let him out of my sight’.
Van Beveren’s strategy was interrupted by a crash, which, though dramatic, didn’t force him to stop: ‘I hit a rock and my bike suddenly slid left and then right before I was thrown over the handlebars. I don’t know if I lost consciousness or not, I don’t remember much about it, but I’m not feeling too bad. I was a bit shaken, but the airbag worked well, so I was able to set off straight away, but in the wrong direction’.
The rider then explained how he got back on track and revealed additional challenges he faced in a day full of emotions: ‘I followed the tracks on the ground, but because I was going the wrong way, I came face to face with Ross [Branch]. That’s when I realised I was going the wrong way. Afterwards, the navigation was complicated and I’d lost my front brake. I stopped to try and repair it with a nut, but then it started working and braking all on its own. I rode sensibly afterwards. I went through all sorts of emotions: I thought I was going to lose everything with that crash’.