Angie Muller Wellness Works

Pisco to San Juan De Marcona

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We are now on our way from Pisco to San Juan de Marcona. The riders have a very technical stage ahead, with plenty of way points to find, and hefty time penalties for points missed. It’s hot and the race began immediately with a “special stage.” A special stage of the total distance traveled is a timed section where way points must be found and time penalties are incurred for missed points or speed infringements. The liaison stage is basically just the route traveled to get from point A to point B and is not timed, although rules must still…

Final Days Dakar 2018

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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…

San Juan

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The bivouac in San Juan is at the old raceway and absolutely magnificently set in a valley surrounded by mountains. It was 38 degrees when we arrived but the heat was dry and the energy and beauty of the place just made everything okay. We were blessed with a few drops of rain and a breeze later in the afternoon which made us all love our non sandy bivouac just a little more. All riders came in tired after their long ride but in very high spirits. One more long day of racing ahead (900km) from San Juan to Córdoba…

Belen to Chilecito

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As the boys would not be coming to the bivouac for the night, we had the entire day to explore while we made our way to Chilecito. The drive through a mountainous reserve was exquisite and we stopped often to try to capture the sights, but the truth is no camera can do this area justice.We also stopped at an archaeological site - home to the Incas thousands of years ago - and I found a canyon to swim in. It was literally the cleanest I have felt since leaving South Africa. Such a treat in this historical, special place.…

Salta to Belen

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The route for the riders was absolutely awful. A section of 60km of river bed, where white rocks are disguised by white sand and 100km of sandy whoops where riders stay in first and second gear…I honestly wonder what the hell Dakar are trying to prove. I am beginning to get the feeling that the essence of Dakar is somehow being lost. Our drive was once again fantastic and we arrived at a refuel point just in time to help one of our team riders who had come off after one of the cars had sped past her without giving…

Tupiza

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We woke in the the camper to good weather - what a relief! After a very local breakfast in Tupiza, we walked around the town and enjoyed the local excitement as they set up to watch some of the riders coming through. The Bolivians are passionate about Dakar. We found our way to a petrol station and viewpoint, and waited for the riders. I received a message from a Hout Bay friend who told me his brother was in Tupiza and was looking for us. We found one another and it was fantastic to spend time with people Who knew…

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La Paz to Tupiza

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What an incredible full day of driving today, from la Paz to Tupiza (15.5 hours). The scenery was spectacular and we were taken on a journey from Mars landscapes to moonscapes to Scottish highlands… Bolivia is just magnificently beautiful. I’m not sure if I mentioned in my last blog, but Bolivia shut down the border post and the main road for our entrance. Leaving was no different. Apart from the odd car or truck, we traveled nearly 800km on road that was reserved for us. Policemen and women or army personnel were stationed along the entire route. It was quite…

Arequipa to La Paz

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We arrived in Arequipa to find all the riders accounted for - some sleeping and some still sorting their things and roadbooks. Dakar had organised a passport control centre, which made the border crossing into Bolivia a total dream. We had to set our watches an hour forward to Bolivia time which made our arrival after midnight. There was still plenty to organise for the next day and I finally left Peggy, still working, and went to sleep for 90 minutes before we had to be up for the stage from Arequipa to La Paz in Bolivia. The riders had…

San Juan de Marcona to Arequipa

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Today we started early and saw the riders off on what was to be a brutal stage. We get the roadbooks every night at 5pm to begin marking them for hazards and changes. It tells a story that begins to read like a book, and it was clear that today would be almost as tough as yesterday. I drove with the team boss and other team members today. We stopped at the start of the first special stage and the refuel point after the second special stage, before the liaison stage of around 450km. The road took us through canyons…

Lima to Pisco

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Our first proper day of racing took us from Lima through to Pisco. While the bikes will certainly always have the best views from the top of enormous dunes, our views were truly beautiful too. We were spoilt here with a two-day camp, as the riders did a loop from the Bivouac on day two. Riding was tough, particularly on day two, with a couple of our team’s riders running out of fuel due to the terribly soft sand. I’ve taken a walk around the bivouac on both evenings and it’s so hard to believe the scale of this event.…