“And this experience has changed my life”

Participating in Dakar 2023 was already the achievement at the end of an arduous road for Thomas Kongshoj, the second Dane ever to ride a bike in the world’s greatest rally. It was also a new start. And it quickly became an ordeal. By nature, the Dakar is demanding, punishing. Furthermore when you start off the wrong foot. On day 2, Kongshoj hit the ground. Exams would reveal he had broken four ribs and injured his back. But he swallowed his pain and covered thousands of kilometers in the desert, step by step, all the way to his first finish in the Dakar. The experience has changed him, he says. And he’s also adapted his preparation to return with higher ambitions.

T.K.: "It was a really an amazing feeling to cross the line and get the finisher medal. I broke the race into smaller races of 10 kilometers. I had a picture of the medal of the Dakar on my phone, a picture of my kids and a picture of my girlfriend. Those are three images I could invoke, it would bring a smile to my face and I could move forward: next 10 kilometers, next 10…
I’ve really pushed my limits. And this experience has changed my life, in positive ways. I have learned to understand who I am and come closer to that, know what I can do and what I can’t, what I have to work on to get the job done.
It was my childhood dream to ride the Dakar on my bike, and the adult dream is to do it with a car. Now I’m living the dream. And the dream is to be here as long as possible because I really appreciate this life. You have to feel it, remind it to yourself because some day you won’t be on your bike so take in as much as you can right now.”