Final Days Dakar 2018

While riders came in absolutely shattered from a very long penultimate day, no one cared. The promise of a shorter final stage and the podium so close was enough to keep everyone’s spirits buoyed. We managed a small amount of sleep on hot tarmac in our usually noisy bivouac for the last time.

My Garmin watch me tells me I averaged around 4-5 hours a night with only an hour to 90 minutes being deep sleep in our bivouacs. The rest day in La Paz and pre- and post-Dakar were obviously different. I’ve had an elevated heart rate from the altitude, lack of sleep, weird air and of course the excitement since I got here. I am now sitting at the airport after stopping in Buenos Aires to see it after Cordoba and my average heart rate is starting to normalise after two decent nights of sleep. I operated pretty well all things considered but relied on cold instant coffee, Red Bull and some effervescent concoction that tasted like Red Bull to make the very long drives.

The feeling when the riders started appearing from the final stage and their ride around the city is entirely impossible to describe. Such a long journey. Such an emotional road. Such a ridiculously (at times) tough Dakar. Such relief.

The final stage had been tougher than expected, but nothing mattered. We had an afternoon to kill at the bivouac. Our team enjoyed a few beers while other teams went absolutely bananas. I was very grateful to be a part of HT Rally and not some of the others. (I have drunk nothing but beer for many years – I don’t cope with strong alcohol well any more.)

Riders chatted to each other, some went off with loved ones who had come to watch the podium finish, and some just sat, probably digesting the enormity of their achievement and the skill, the luck and mental strength it had taken to get here. I had a couple of beers and fell asleep on the tarmac – I’d love to say this a new skill, but I’ve been sleeping in peculiar places my entire life.

The riders got dressed in their gear for the last time and prepared to do a long lap around the city before being impounded for the podium. We headed to the hotel to drop all our bags and have a quick shower before heading to the podium.

The vibe was great at the podium, but I was very upset to see the queues of locals outside not allowed to enter. These people are fanatical and it would have been nice to have a massive free public area but I’m sure the organisers have their reasons.

The food and drink – or lack thereof – was quite disappointing given the size of the event. It didn’t matter as we were there to see our riders and try to get some pictures. It was over so quickly, but it was fantastic to be a part of it. From here, we headed to the after-party. It was at a club a fair distance from our hotel. Those who know me will know how much the prospect of a club was freaking me out, but I went along with it. It was like being transported back to 1995 and it stank of what I thought was vomit. Dave told me its from years of beer seeping into the woodwork and it was gross. We left pretty quickly and found a quiet bar around the corner which was much more to my liking.

Another late night and an entire day of chilling for me the next day. The others made their way to swim at a Sheraton Hotel, but I chose to stay in my room and read – exactly what my introverted self needed. We found a really lovely restaurant for our final dinner and were treated to street dancing – what a lovely part of their culture. People of all shapes and sizes in any manner of dress at any age just enjoying themselves. Truly wonderful and not something that would ever work in our pretentious culture. I felt my Mom very strongly and I stayed to watch a while as her favourite thing was to dance.Another early morning as we headed to the airport. The rest were flying home and I was stopping in for a few days in Buenos Aires to have a look. I was so close anyway. I enjoyed Buenos Aires but in hindsite I was pretty ready to just get home. That said, I have no regrets. I managed some siteseeing but probably more sleeping.

I am now sitting at the Buenos Aires International Airport ready to board my flight en route to Charles de Gaulle and then Cape Town. Many hours of traveling but Cape Town is calling and I just don’t mind. What a varied adventure it has been.

We are all blessed to have been kept safe and I’m so grateful to have all of these memories stored. Dakar 2018. Thank you. You will always remain my pleasure and my privilege.

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