TEAM SP FiFTYONE SUFFER THE AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE MONUMENTAL DAY TWO BUT USE THEIR HEADS TO MAINTAIN POSITION AT THE END OF AN EASIER DAY THREE. After such an epic day two it was inevitable Team SP FiFTYONE riders Simon and Llewelyn Pavey were going to suffer physically on day three, despite it being a relatively easier days riding. After needing medical attention at the end of the stage the day before, an experience Simon described as horrible, it was understandable he wouldnt feel strong on his bike during day three. But in very typical gritty fashion he simply cracked on with it at a relentless but steady pace, making sure he got through despite running on empty himself. The knock-on effects for Llewelyn were from his knock on the head when he crashed towards the end of the toughest Dakar stage in recent memory a day earlier. Showing maturity beyond his 23 years, Llewelyn rode within himself and the limits he knows he has on his KTM450 Rally bike to maintain his 82nd place. A grueling 3000m climb in 220kms formed part of day three which also saw the bikes take their own route for part of the stage. Spectacular scenery through La Rioja region of Argentina was difficult to take in for either Team SP FiFTYONE rider. With so many competitors running similar times around them the stage was dusty as well as incredibly hot, well above 40 degrees for much of the day. Tough and rocky towards the end with some patches of hard to see fesh-fesh, both Simon and Llewelyn safely reached the end of day three exhausted, certainly ready for food and water and some much needed rest. An incredibly early start out of Chilecito on day four sees the rally head into Chile at the Paso San Francisco border crossing, notable by name but also its altitude – some 4,800m. The early start, first riders are away at 4:30am, will amplify dramatic changes in altitude and temperature (likely to be below freezing at the summit) for all competitors and will certainly be an unknown entity for rookie Llewelyn. The 315kms special stage takes in the infamous Atacama Desert, regarded as “the driest place on earth”. The last 40kms contain the giant dunes famous to many Dakar follower and will offer a challenging finish to the stage. The race will be on for riders to get through this section before night falls. A special thought to the family and friends of Polish rider Michael Hernik who sadly passed away while competing yesterday. Simon Pavey: Yesterday had a bit of a lasting effect on all of us but after going into the medical centre and throwing up everywhere I wasn’t feeling too good most of today. It was a horrible experience really but I was not the only one by any means. My problem today was just not having the energy because I didn’t eat enough yesterday, so I had no fuel in me. It was also really dusty a lot of the time. I’m not riding well either, I’m struggling a bit with confidence and getting the front to stick in turns on the harder pack going. When you’re not feeling strong on the bike it all gets a bit worse and we dropped a bit further down the order than we want to be so the ruts in the riverbeds are worse and it becomes a vicious circle – all sucking energy out of you in this immense heat. But you’ve got to just soak it up and get on with it. Tomorrow looks like being tough for different reasons: getting up early and heading high into the mountains will be cold and difficult with the altitude. 600-odd kms is a long way but once we get into the desert it will be special and I’m looking forward to that end stretch of big dunes, it could be quite fun. Llewlyn Pavey: Like so many people today I was suffering the effects of yesterday, especially after my crash. It was a weird one because I landed on my eye, which made me feel a bit hazy and I couldn’t see for a bit. I think with that and the effects of the heat, I’ve been feeling a bit sick while riding today, taking it a bit easier to make sure of everything was sensible. It’s been hard to concentrate a bit too, I’m not sure if that’s the altitude or just me being me! I’m having to read the road book five or six times to make sure I’m right, which is no bad thing it just feels dozy. It’s ridiculous how good my bike feels though. You have to remember it is a rally bike and it changes quite a lot during the day as the fuel load changes – I think that’s what caught me out a bit yesterday when I crashed. It felt so good I was having too good a time on it. Despite being a bit steadier today though I enjoyed the riding. The riverbeds were nice and I didn’t have any problems. I think the people complaining or having problems with the fesh-fesh today were the ones who didn’t ride it yesterday. It was much easier today. The only problems come when a quad comes past you and creates a massive cloud of dust for the next five kilometres! Day four looks good. I’m looking forward to tackling the desert but I’m unsure what to expect from myself as we the climb up the mountain in the morning. We’ll see. It is what it is.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 13:48:53 +0000
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