Did you know that STAUFF supports projects and athletes all over the world? Raphaël Beaugillet is a tandem athlete with an exceptional career. STAUFF France has been supporting him since January 2024. We asked him about his career, his motivation and more. Read on to discover this exceptional story!

Introduction : Raphaël, can you tell us about your tandem career and how you started this adventure?

The tandem came about really by chance in the beginning when I lost my sight, well most of it... I'd bought a rather sophisticated exercise bike... A neighbour who saw me cycling in my garage every day came to see me and asked if I'd be interested in buying a second-hand tandem bike, really cheap, to see if we'd like it. It all started from there...

Challenge of the visually impaired : You lost your sight at a young age due to a degenerative disease. Can you tell us about the challenges you faced and how you overcame them to become a top-level Paralympic athlete?

It wasn't easy at first, because from one day to the next I was doing nothing at home, just waiting for the weekend to meet up with my friends so I could go out... It took a while to accept and certainly to understand. It was really sport that enabled me to rediscover a social link and new goals. That's what enabled me to rebuild my life.

Objectif paralympique : You won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021. How has this experience influenced your goals of taking part in the Paris Games in 2024?

The medal in Tokyo was a great reward for all the work we had put in for a long time... But when we are athletes and competitors, we always want more, and this was in a special context. The COVID was back in Japan, everything was behind closed doors; we were in bubbles, that's not the fervour of the games...

Preparing for the Olympics in Paris : How have you been preparing for the Paralympic Games in Paris? Are there any particular challenges you're facing in your training?

Preparing for Paris, the constraints and challenges of training... A lot of constraints. In the end, preparing for Tokyo was almost easier in terms of access to the track for training, because the velodrome was closed, but we have access to it as high-level athletes.

Preparing for Paris was completely different because we were obliged to train in public slots, sometimes with around 50 cyclists on the track, because the French sprint centre didn't want to welcome us in their training slots... we were in a dangerous discipline so we couldn't train in optimum conditions and in complete safety. Sometimes our training sessions had to be shortened.

Inspiration and motivation : What inspires and motivates you to continue training and competing despite the challenges you have faced ?

What inspires me to always want to keep up the effort, feel my legs burning and always the competitive aspect and as long as there's pleasure that's really the main aspect.

Even though it has to be said that sometimes when you wake up early in the morning to do a workout or training session, we're like a lot of people who don't want to go to work, but once you're on the bike or doing the workout, it's the goal that comes back and that gives you motivation and makes you think of the people around you who support you, because without them nothing would be possible.

Message for fans and supporters : Finally, what message would you like to pass to those who support you on your career path?

The message I'd like to pass on to all the people who support me is, first of all, a big thank you, because without them nothing would be possible, and if we win medals, it's thanks to them as much as us... because whatever the support, whether it's material, financial or voluntary, without this, I wouldn't have been able to get to where I am today.

At STAUFF, we have chosen to become a partner of the Tandem en Or for several key reasons. Firstly, we share common values of perseverance, surpassing oneself and excellence. Raphaël's impressive career perfectly embodies these values.

Supporting the Tandem en Or enables us to promote inclusion and diversity in sport. We strongly believe that everyone deserves an equal chance to succeed, whatever the difficulties they face. By supporting Raphaël and his tandem partner, we are helping to raise awareness of the importance of sport for all and encouraging others to overcome their own challenges.

Being associated with a top-level athlete like Raphaël Beaugillet enables us to reinforce our commitment to innovation and performance. Raphaël's success on the track, with multiple titles and international participations, is a testament to what can be achieved with determination and the right support. We are proud to be part of this inspiring adventure and to contribute to its future success.