Adrien Van Beveren: "Everyone's giving it 200%"

Dakar 2026 | Stage 4 | ALULA > BIVOUAC REFUGE
January 7 ^th 2026 - 18:21 [GMT + 3]

VBA is a cut below his teammates. The Frenchman, ninth overall at 27'24", is frustrated at not being able to find the magic formula that catapulted him to the podium in the last two editions.

"There's a hole in my tyre, but I think it'll survive tomorrow. I'm racing soft and I try to take good care of my bike, but there's gravel everywhere. It shakes you up. Every day, we finish on square wheels, we hit hidden stones all the time. Maybe they'll be fewer stones later. I worked hard to perform at a higher level, I don't think I'm underperforming, I'm taking as many risks as I can. Everyone's giving it 200%. Will they be able to keep it up over thirteen stages? I don't know, but I'm giving it everything I've got. I've got my work cut out for me to go faster. It would be a bad idea to obsess over the general standings. It's tough because I came here with certain aspirations. I need to take a step back and realise everything's fine. What's really frustrating is that I went toe to toe with my teammates throughout last season and the last few years, but now I'm just not at the same level."