“ Finishing 5th is an excellent result for me, because I can’t follow the rhythm of the top riders. So, my strategy is to follow them and seize the opportunity if they have a problem. So, I tried to ride as clean as I can and make no mistakes. It wasn’t easy, and at the beginning I made the wrong choice between a lot of tracks. I lost maybe two minutes. Then, I saw Frétigné fell down but he seemed ok so I continued my race but more carefully. I’ve lost few minutes more on Carlo (De Gavardo), but I don’t mind, because the most important for me was to arrive in one piece at the bivouac where I gave up last year.”

“ Finishing 5th is an excellent result for me, because I can’t follow the rhythm of the top riders. So, my strategy is to follow them and seize the opportunity if they have a problem. So, I tried to ride as clean as I can and make no mistakes. It wasn’t easy, and at the beginning I made the wrong choice between a lot of tracks. I lost maybe two minutes. Then, I saw Frétigné fell down but he seemed ok so I continued my race but more carefully. I’ve lost few minutes more on Carlo (De Gavardo), but I don’t mind, because the most important for me was to arrive in one piece at the bivouac where I gave up last year.”

“Today, I suffered a lot but I also really enjoy myself. With this invert start list, you realise that that there is a lot people on the rally. And many tracks to follow. But you can’t trust any of them. You only have to stick to your road book, and that’s it. Everything went on well, except when I realised that I had a flat tyre. I complete the stage with this flat tyre, with no special problem. I am happy since I was riding in front of the race. So far, the bike is good, and so is the team.”

“Today, we realised how tough the Dakar can be. There has been kilometres of dunes and stones, and a lot of navigation as well. And today’s stage was very physically demanding. What’s more, we had to remains very focussed on every detail till the end. At once, I could see Coma. I wanted to catch him up, but I fell. It was not serious, but it really illustrates what the Dakar is. You can’t afford any mistake et remain focussed on everything till the last stage. But sincerely, I won today thanks to my mechanic Roberto and Jordi Arcarons. Every morning, when I take the bike, I know it will work perfectly well. And it gives you the confidence you need to really ride for victory. “

I am very tired since the stage was very difficult, with a huge off road program. I am very satisfied with my 4th place because I will start in a good place tomorrow for the last huge stage before the rest day. I hope I will have the opportunity to launch an attack. There is still two stages to complete in Mauritania, and they will surely determine the final classification. Today, many riders fell and I tried to seize this opportunity. This morning I asked David Casteu to stay with me in case of trouble. And he did so. So did Michel Gau with Cyril. It has been a very difficult day for Cyril. Even if he lost a lot of time, the most important for him was to be here in Atar tonight. His shoulder will improve day by day and I am sure he will soon be able to ride at his usual pace.

Sincerely , this morning, I thought I could not ride. But the pain was in fact totally bearable, and at least my shoulder was far less painful than I thought. Of course, it still hurts a lot since the muscles contract and I suffer from my neck. It was almost easier for me today in the camel grass since on the rocky passages, the bike was taping a lot. On the other hand, in the dunes I remained sited and it went on quite well. I would really like to thank the doctors of the organisation. If they hadn’t done such a good job, I couldn’t have rode the stage today. With the same injury a banker would have stopped working for one week, and I had to go on in spite of the pain. Today the attention of the media focuses on me since I wear the n°1 jersey. But many amateurs surely suffer much more than I do. In Lisbon, I wanted to win the Dakar. Of course, it is not definitely over but now I will take it stage by stage. And we will see how things can evolve. Anyway, I am very happy to be here. Falling is part of the game, you have to accept it. If you don’t it means that you think you are stronger than the desert. And if you think, it is even not worth taking the start of the race.