When your customer @nathanjr is badass and racing the @dakarrally. Keep charging hard đź‘Šđź‘Š.
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Race Update:
Still truckin’. Yesterday was rough. Really rough. 80k through the infamous huge, soft dunes of Tanaka right off the start had me bumping my head up against the limit and seriously contemplating what I am doing here. Had two mid-air ejects and after the 2nd just sat on my crashed bike at the bottom of a hole, head in hands, feeling like my world was cratering. Rock friggin’ bottom. I just didn’t want to be here anymore and my head was in a really bad place. In the end, I said a few loud curse words, wiped away a few tears, and kept motoring. Finally to the end of the stage after 13 hrs on the bike with a 4a wakeup call. Comatose.
Amazingly, I wasn’t the only one who struggled and I even jumped up several places.
Spent the whole night stressing as the organizers said today’s 100k dune section was even tougher. But I woke up feeling well, buoyed by the overwhelming support of friends and family sending messages from home. Turns out the dunes today weren’t nearly as tough as yesterday which was a huge relief. Though I did have the worst motorbike wreck of my life slamming 15’ to hard pack from a steep dune ledge I didn’t see. Not good. Spent 20 mins on the ground with what I thought might be a broken wrist. In the end, I was banged up but not broken. Did damage the sentinel on my bike which warns of overtaking cars/trucks so got to ride blind all day with some very unnerving close calls from other vehicles.
In the end, I slipped a few places today but am happy to still be upright (although walking a bit funny). I think (hope), the hardest is behind me. Can’t smell the barn quite yet but I know it’s there somewhere.
Even better, I get to give Karen and Sam a hug tomorrow night as they’ll be in the bivouac in Pisco. 7 stages done, 3 to go. Onward.
Was stoked to be congratulated at today’s finish by Luc Alphand, a hero of mine. World Cup downhill skier and former Dakar champion.