Week 2
"Straight after the rest day we head into Bolivia for a couple of days." Pain added. "Unless the organisers have found some special ‰Û÷bike only‰Ûª tracks, for us I think the route will be similar to last year‰Ûªs and relatively straightforward. There are however three elements that could complicate matters. The first is that it is a marathon stage, meaning that we have no outside mechanical assistance for the night we are there.
"These marathon stages are always a special moment on the Dakar. The bike competitors are all alone, in pretty basic conditions and that creates a very different, more intimate atmosphere. Obviously not having any assistance adds another dimension. If you don‰Ûªt have any problems with your bike then you just check it over, change the air filter and get on with marking up the next day‰Ûªs road book.
"But if you‰Ûªve had a crash or some other mechanical issue then you know you are in for a late night and lots of improvisation to make repairs as best you can ready to start the next day. The other challenge is that the bivouac is at 3500 metres and you will feel the difference. You will be short of breath and might not sleep so well, all of which puts additional strain on an already tired body!"
"Heading back to Iquique there is talk of us crossing the biggest dried salt lake in the world. I think that it is something ridiculous like 100 kilometres wide. We were supposed to cross it last year but apparently it wasn‰Ûªt dry enough. Whether we do it this year remains to be seen. For sure the organisers can‰Ûªt take the risk of the whole race sinking under the lake‰Ûªs salty crust."
"The next day we say farewell to the Atacama Desert, which can always come up with some surprises, before heading back over the Andes - direction Salta - and our second marathon stage of the rally. Clearly this is going to be one of the toughest two days of the rally.
"The high altitude always takes it out of you and, to make matters worse, we start the special at 3600 metres, which means not much air for either the bike or the rider. Then when we get down to Salta we‰Ûªll have to manage on our own again with no mechanical assistance.
"That means riding to preserve the bike and pilot and making sure your tyres aren‰Ûªt too destroyed for the following day. Fortunately we have a single cell fuel tank this year which should make the bike much easier to service."
Olivier Pain
"After that, in theory at least, it should be a relatively straightforward run back down to Buenos Aires, over relatively flowing WRC tyre ‰Û÷pistes‰Ûª. I say ‰Û÷in theory‰Ûª because you never know really know what the organisers, the terrain, the climate or Lady Luck will throw at you.
"We will know a bit more when we get to Buenos Aires and the organisers give us a more detailed breakdown of the stages. I‰Ûªll have another good look at the stage profiles but I‰Ûªll still be on my guard. It‰Ûªs tempting to get too far ahead of yourself and run ‰Û÷your‰Ûª Dakar film through your head before you‰Ûªve even started.
"Experience has taught me that it is better to take it one day at a time and expected the unexpected. Pretty much the only thing you can be certain of for 2015 is that, just like every year, the Dakar will be the toughest motorsport challenge on the planet and a great way to start the New Year!"
