Ramon Wins Le Touquet Beach Race
Cycle News Staff | January 31, 2011
Motocrosser Steve Ramon won the 2011 Le Touquet Beach Race in front of some 200,000 spectators on the French beach yesterday.
Known as the largest beach race in the world today, Ramon was using the race as part of his preparation for the MX1 World Championship season. Ramon started well and ended up taking the lead early and setting the pace for the 102-mile race in the sand. Using solid pit stops and his fast pace, Ramon kept the lead for the 11 laps, beating Jean-Claude Mousse by just under a minute.
“That is an incredibly tough race, but lots of fun,” Ramon said in a team release. “With the pit stops and back markers it was pretty tough to keep track of who is around you, but I was able to keep a steady pace over the three hours and seven minutes. I realized on the final lap that Mousse was on a charge, so I picked up my pace, and also at that point he made some mistakes. As I came through into the final part of the race, I looked back and couldn’t see anyone at all. I was really happy to take the win in this huge event. I am going to take a rest for a few days now and then start to get ready for the first motocross international in Valance in two weeks.”
