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Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia – Jan 7, 2025
I had to get outside assistance from Carlos, my Nomadas Adv team mechanic, to find the problem that left me stranded in the dunes yesterday. He got the bike running but wasn’t sure of the exact problem.
I took a stage penalty after yesterday’s mechanical issue which relegated me to the back of the field. That meant I left the bivouac at 7:30 am for the 160km liason – another freezing cold morning on the bike.
The special stage started with a 110km rock section to warm us up. It was very tight and slow going but I managed to pass quite a few riders. It was very dangerous due to the thick dust.
There was a refuel stop at kilometre 127 and then we had some very fast sandy tracks for the next 100km before winding through a section of dunes and deep sand filled with even more rocks.
The rocks continued until the end of the special stage. Everyone was struggling in these sections and there were a lot of crashes and injuries today.
The bike stalled in the sand again today and would not start, it’s the same issue as yesterday.
I dragged the bike on to some harder ground and waited for the next rider to come along. We then tried to tow start the bike and fortunately it worked, enabling me to get going.
And then it stopped again.
It’s looking like an electrical issue, so it’ll be another late and expensive night replacing all the electrics on the bike.
And that’s after a 330km liaison to our new bivouac in Al Henakiyah, the last 100km of which was in the dark and cold.
Tomorrow we start the marathon stage, so it will be yet another night sleeping in the freezing cold desert.
Each day the terrain is getting more difficult and demanding. This is tough.
