
Covering 7,500 kilometres in 12 days at a frantic pace is not a piece of cake, even for a professional rider. For more than 40 years, the Dakar Rally has severely tested minds, engines, and muscles. Pressure is at its highest for a reason: Like Russian roulette, there is no second chance. The Dakar Rally is ruthless; a small mistake can cost you the race and leave you waiting another year.
Like boxers locked away in a training camp, rally competitors follow a strict program in which nothing is left to chance. Their preparation is built in cycles and ramps up to be in peak condition when the Dakar Rally kicks off on January 5 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the ultimate adventure in a new country.
The entire year is built around this date, and, as Yamaha’s Adrien van Beveren reveals, his training program is intended to improve strength, flexibility, and physical and mental balance. For the 28-year-old Frenchman, training hard and having fun go hand in hand, as his Dakar Rally preparation is built in cycle of three weeks of training followed by a week of rest until he stops completely 10 days prior to the start of the event.