After thirty-five days of competition, physical effort, adrenaline and emotion, Lucas and Nicolas are the big winners of Beijing Express: on the lands of the Royal Eagle, this Thursday, April 14.After Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan then Jordan, the two Belgian brothers lived an intense final in Dubai.With their steel mind, their complicity and their humor, the two candidates were formidable competitors over this fifteenth season.The adventure having come to an end, Lucas and Nicolas agreed to return to this incredible experience for Gala.Fr.Meet.
Gala.Fr : Au moment de valider votre victoire, vous ne lâchez rien et finissez la compétition en courant. Qu’avez-vous ressenti au moment de Franchir le point d’arrivée ?
Lucas: Something that I still can't assimilate. J’ai du mal à exprimer ce que l’on ressent en Franchissant la ligne d’arrivée.Everything mixes.The 35 days of the adventure and the memories go back to the surface.Everything is intertwined.It’s so grand as experience.Frankly, it is difficult to express what we can feel.Even today, I find it hard to achieve what happened.
Nicolas: Lucas is right, the 35 days of competitions parade in the space of two seconds.The image I keep in mind is that of my wife surrounded by my children.They gave me the strength to go to the end and give the maximum of myself.
Gala.Fr : Quand vous réalisez votre victoire, vous dites, Nicolas "Merci pour tout, j’ai vécu une expérience de dingue". Auriez-vous pu imaginer cette aventure avec une autre personne que votre Frère Lucas ?
Nicolas: Oh no.We signed up together because we wanted to live this experience together.I didn't see myself doing Beijing Express with another person than Lucas.Maybe my wife, and again.For me, it was Lucas and no one else.It was evident.We knew very well that we were going to shoot ourselves up.I think we needed to make this adventure together.We needed to be both to be able to say things that we never say to ourselves.Like the feelings that we experience for each other, for example.
Gala.Fr : La place de vainqueur s’est jouée à quelques minutes.Were you confident throughout the race?
Lucas: Nothing is played before the point of arrival.The slightest minute and the slightest second can be fatal.You shouldn't let go.Do not sell the skin of the bear before having killed it.We were still faced with a pair (Editor's note: Fanny and Jérémy) with a steel mind and who wanted to give it all.We gave each other until the last second.
"The most beautiful memory is the adventure in itself"
Gala.Fr : Dans cette finale, vous étiez face à Fanny et Jérémy.The couple of dreamers have not always been very tender with you.How did you experience competition in the face of this pair?
Lucas: We can understand the situation.Honestly, I don't know how I would have reacted if I had been in their place.We happened to pass them on the wire when we were convinced to be second in the ranking.I can understand that it annoys but it is also important to put into perspective.We must not forget that it is a game.We have stress and fatigue.Besides that, we don't blame them at all and we still have very good contacts with them.Jérémy and Fanny are really beautiful people.
Nicolas: If I had been in their place, being a big nervous, I think I would have a little bit upset.Admittedly, there were somewhat derogatory remarks.It doesn't matter, it's a game.I'm not resentful.
Gala.Fr : Avez-vous toujours voulu participer à Pékin Express ?
Lucas: Three-four years ago, I offered Nicolas to try the adventure.He quickly replied that with his young children, it was a little complicated.And when he watched the first episode of season 14, he sent me a message to ask me if I wanted to be part of the next edition.Then, we chained the stages of the casting and we found ourselves in season 15.
Gala.Fr : Quel a été le souvenir le plus marquant ?
Nicolas: The most beautiful memory is the adventure in itself.It is made of good and bad times.In the end, everything is exceptional.Whether it's the race, the tests, the people we were able to meet.The whole adventure is great.
Lucas: Although it is difficult, the adventure is simply fabulous.All emotions are increased tenfold.We lived moments among residents who were both moving and funny.There may be a moment in Uzbekistan that marked me more than others, when an old lady prayed for us.Whenever I see the video, I feel like I relive the moment.It may be thanks to her that we arrived in the final.
Gala.Fr : Au contraire, quel a été votre pire souvenir ?
Nicolas: The worst memory is the second part of the trek in the desert.It was hell on earth.
Lucas: The carpet is not bad anyway.The temperature, the dust, everything, it was horrible!
"We learned to tame, temper and listen to the other"
Gala.Fr : Est-ce que ça n’a pas été compliqué d’être ensemble H-24 ?
Lucas: Even with my wife, we don't do it.By being together 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you have to learn to put water in your wine.We learned to tame, temper and listen to the other.We must admit, we were two animals with each a strong character.Yes, there were tense moments but contrary to what we imagined during departure, it was not much!I can tell you (he laughs).
Nicolas: (he laughs) it's true!When we were on the train towards Paris, we thought we were going to get shuffled every hour.In the end, it rarely arrived.
Gala.Fr : Selon vous quels ont été vos points forts et vos points faibles dans cette compétition ?
Nicolas: Our mind was clearly our strong point.Even when it was more difficult, we never let go.We have always looked forward.We started the adventure with the idea of giving everything and never regretting something.Regarding our weak point, I will say the lack of our loved ones.It was very complicated.
Gala.Fr : Malgré votre statut de grands favoris, vous est-il déjà arrivé de vouloir abandonner la course ?
Lucas: A given moment in competition, the distance from our family was very difficult for us to manage.We had so many big doubts that we had to really question ourselves.Fortunately we thought well because we continued the adventure until the end.
Gala.Fr : Bien que vous soyez complices, avez-vous appris des nouvelles choses l’un sur l’autre ?
Lucas: Even if I had no doubt about it, I was really surprised by Nicolas' strength of character.When he has an idea in his head, he doesn't have it anywhere (he laughs).He never lets go of anything even in a little more difficult moment.At the same time, he knew how to delay and stay calm, much more than he would have imagined himself. Il a vraiment été un sacré soutien pour son petit Frère.
Nicolas: Before leaving, Lucas used to keep it for him.He confided very rarely and kept all his emotions for him.At times of the adventure, he managed to let go.I think it did him a lot of good.And if he had doubts about it, he has a crazy strength.
"Beijing Express leaves grandiose memories"
Gala.Fr : Après 35 jours de compétition, comment s’est passé l’après Pékin Express ?
Nicolas: Very good!I went back to work quickly.I was very happy to find my little wife, my children, my colleagues and my site.I resumed my life normally.On the one hand it is not worse.It saved me from going around in circles and rehashing things.
Lucas: It took me two to three weeks to land well.It was more complicated for me.After having lived an extraordinary adventure, we find a life with phones and emails.
Gala.Fr : Quelle est la première chose que vous avez faite une fois de retour en France ?
Nicolas: At the end of the plane, I stopped at a restaurant with my wife and my children.When I arrived, I just wanted a good beer.And so I took a good beer (he laughs).
Lucas: The caricature of the good Belgian (he laughs)!For my part, I immediately wanted to share my adventure with my little woman.We stayed at home.I really had to land.
Gala.Fr : Si la production vous recontacte pour une nouvelle aventure Pékin Express, accepteriez-vous de relever une deuxième fois le défi ?
Nicolas: The adventure was so complicated far from my wife and my children that I really consider the idea of leaving.If there was a proposal, I think I would decline it.In addition, the third will soon point the nose, so it would be complicated.
Lucas: Even today, I really find it difficult to assimilate the fact of having participated in such a program.I need to step back and think about the future.For the moment, I don't know.I just want to take advantage of what happened to us and talk to our loved ones.
Gala.Fr : Les inscriptions pour la prochaine saison viennent d’être lancées.How about people who want to try the adventure?
Lucas: This is the adventure of a lifetime.It leaves grandiose memories.Regardless of the region that people will visit, there are so many beautiful things to discover.This experience allows you to discover an opening of mind and a humanity which are very different from ours.If people want to live an adventure with someone who is dear to them, they absolutely have to make Beijing Express.
Nicolas: I will add that we must not forget that it remains a game.The adventure can be very complicated at times.So you have to prepare to be far from your family.It’s not easy every day.
Gala.Fr : Qu’allez-vous faire des 100.000 euros won during this final?
Lucas: a game will allow you to finance my wedding.After I don't want a princely wedding, we are very simple people (he laughs).With my future wife, we have home and family projects.Everything will come in time.
Nicolas: As my wife and children allowed me to live the Beijing Express experience, I think everything will come back to them.I would like to spoil them and make them happy.I would like to travel with them and make them discover the countries we have visited.
Photo credits: Patrick Robert/M6
