Enduro is a way of life in Le Touquet as our reporter Patrice Knanec discovers when he meets local hôtelier Olivier Lienard…
Enduro riders start young around here. Take Olivier Lienard. A born motorsports fan, the dunes and the beach of Le Touquet became his playground from the moment he got his first bike. He trained for hours and hours with his mates to build up the skills he needed to take on the great Kees Van Der Ven, whose record of six consecutive victories around here remains unmatched.
At age 18, with his brand new licence in his pocket, it was a natural step to finally take part in his first Enduro. That was 24 years ago.
He’s now got 15 under his belt, finishing regularly in the top 50 with his best finish being in 2006 when he came in 42nd: "It was the last time we could ride in the dunes. I have amazing memories of what was my most emotional event."
For the purists, L’Enduropale is all about the dunes and the bottleneck: where almost 1,000 bikes, scattered over a wide area, have to squeeze through a narrow channel causing a traffic jam to rival the greatest capitals of Europe during rush hour. "During my first Enduro, I came to the bottleneck and when I saw all these riders jammed together, I thought I’d outsmart them all and overtake them around the edge. Of course the slope was too steep, I came a cropper, did several rolly pollies and had to spend the next 20 minutes restarting my bike."
© Flavien Duhamel/Red Bull Media House
A technical race, not a sprint…
Today he delights in an era where superior driving technique is all important. Where he has to adapt every turn to the detiorating terrain. Olivier is not a fan of the times when speed is the key to victory and he’s happy to see the Enduropale course is getting more and more technical. Because to Olivier, "L’Enduropale is the holy grail, all other races are only preparation for Le Touquet. You have to know when to brake, where’s the best racing line, how to handle the turns and how to race cleanly at 50km/h, not just in a straight line at 140km/h.”
He took over the Golden Sands Hotel Stella Beach five years ago and each year he’s been providing a home for home for L’Enduropale competitiors. For him, it’s become another way of taking part in the event: "I come to their briefings in the evening, and they ask for my input, because although I am just an amateur, I live here, I know the area and that helps. We speak the same language, because even though we are at different levels of competition, they trust my judgement and experience. I’m a bit like a nanny for some of them – always there to do them the odd favour! I have my regulars for whom L’Enduropale is almost like spending a weekend with the family."
The key to success…
For that’s this hotelier’s secret: he creates an atmosphere and help his "guests" to prepare their race under the best conditions. He even gives them a free run of his garage where they can make their final adjustments. And like any good host, he has a wealth of anecdotes: "Cyril Despres came here a few years ago with KTM. He was setting up his bike next to mine. Imagine, suddenly realising that right next to your is the guy who won the Dakar a few weeks earlier and there he is, right there in your garage and you’re preparing your machines together and you’re asking him if you can borrow his number 12 Allen key… it was a completely surreal moment.”
Olivier won’t be taking part this year – he’s got too much work to do – but he not start but he may well still be involved in his first podium as one of his guests, Damien Prevot, is one of the favourites.
Want more?
- Read Cyril Despres's blog at L'Enduropale
- Six of the best: Off road races
- Facts and figures on L'Enduropale
- More Hard Enduro on redbull.com
- Win Dakar prizes
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