Bert Vanlerberghe wins heroic Endurance Beach De Panne

What a weather but what a crowd of sports enthusiasts, especially for the Endurance Beach race in De Panne. 52 kilometers, good for three loops between De Panne and Bray-Dunes. When we leave the dike of Bray-Dunes for the first time, Timothy Dupont and Thomas Joseph provide the first acceleration.

Under the impulse of an eager Joseph and a strong Bert Vanlerberghe, the group tears into pieces. Merlier is with us, Timothy Dupont, Tim Declercq too. Jonas Rickaert and Jordi Warlop. The real sand specialists, such as Jasper Dejaegher and Daan Van Sint-Maartensdijk, last year’s winner, have to chase, we won’t see them in the front anymore. Rickaert has to release the role at the front, we get an elite group: Declercq, Merlier, Timothy Dupont, Thomas Joseph, Bert Vanlerberghe and Jordi Warlop. Hats off to Klaas Vantornout who is the only master with this.

Bert Vanlerberghe really feels in his element. In the second passage to Bray-Dunes he goes alone for a while. But it’s still far. We lose Joseph in the front with a flat rear tire. Vanlerberghe is caught up by six men: teammate Tim Declercq puffs and drags, Dupont, Warlop, Merlier, Vermeulen and Klaas Vantornout are still with him. Even if we lose him going into the last round.

It also goes too fast for Vermeulen in that last crazy ride to Bray-Dunes. Five riders fight for victory. Tim Declercq, Jordi Warlop, Timothy Dupont, Bert Vanlerberghe and Tim Merlier. Tim Declercq tries it a few times, left from the back. But the others don’t give him any meters. Warlop often jumps on the wheel. By the way, it goes thirty km per hour on the hard sand. Getting lost is simply not easy in this tough race.

So they run for it. Vanlerberghe is first out of the last corner. He beats Timothy Dupont and Jordi Warlop. Tim Declercq is fourth, ahead of Tim Merlier. With the women we also have this image of Grace Verbeke with great pleasure. She is eight minutes ahead of the second.