“You can just as easily fall on the first stage as the last”

He has struggled to confirm on the Dakar, especially since he has not been with one of the three factory teams. Second on the 2016 edition and thus a logical contender for the win, Stefan Svitko has suffered tremendous disappointment these past two years. After finishing 25th in 2017, the worse came last year with a crash that resulted in retirement and a seriously injured knee. Stefan Svitko is not quite as popular as his countryman and cycling superstar, three-time world champion Peter Sagan, First off because despite being taciturn, he is loaded with talent. He was 28 when he made his Dakar debut in 2010 and he certainly did not expect to finish a strong 13th overall. Despite a few setbacks and two retirements, the three-time European Enduro Champion became a regular in the Top 10 (5th in 2012 and 2015, 9th in 2014), has done better than his illustrious countryman, Jaroslav Katrinak, who finished 9th in 2007 and is a pioneer in the Czech Republic. Unnerved by his sub-par performance last year, Svitko hopes to bounce back. On a new KTM and in his own Slovnaft team, the native of Zankoy isn’t interested in setting goals but he could be in the battle for the podium to celebrate his 10th participation. The Peruvian dunes are in the wheel house of this sand racing specialist.

‘’I no longer have any pain in my knee that will limit me. When I got back on the bike, the first two months were a struggle. I wondered if I had made a mistake in getting back on too soon. I went through a big rehabilitation programme. I did several cryotherapy sessions before returning to training. There will only be 10 stages on the 2019 Dakar, but they will be more difficult. Over the years, I have gathered enough experience to know what to expect. We are anticipating more sand, which is fine with me, but it will be more dangerous. The stages in Peru have been outstanding in the past. I will be on a new bike. I would say that compared to the previous one, we are a hundred years ahead. In nine years, I have acquired a lot of experience. I know too well that you can just as easily fall on the first stage as the last. The 9th edition was unfortunately not a good one for me. Consequently, I don’t have any particular expectations for the 10th.”