At the end of the rope

Dakar 2019 | Stage 8 | San Juan de Marcona > Pisco
January 15 ^th 2019 - 00:00 [GMT -5]

Even after a solid performance on the 323 km special on the dunes around San Juan de Marcona, Guillaume Martens is still unsure whether he can make it to Lima. "I've lost count of all the times I had to pick up my motorbike", gasps the Dutchman. So much sand… "I'm exhausted. "I've never been so happy to see the finish line. Usually, I'm eager for more, but now I just want to get it over with." On Sunday, Guillaume reached the bivouac after a fifteen-hour struggle with his KTM. Yesterday, he spent another ten hours on the saddle. "I've never been so tired in my life", he continues. I'm only getting three or four hours' sleep, I haven't showered in three days… When I get to the bivouac, I've got barely enough strength to take a look at my bike and grab a bite before slipping into my sleeping bag. It's a dream to take part in the Dakar, but when you're here, you swear you'll never come back." Guillaume Martens is taking part in his third Dakar at age 54. He has never managed to finish the rally before. "We've still got three days to go, and I don't know if I'll make it if the remaining stages are as hard as the other ones." The Dutchman based in Switzerland fell in love with the Dakar four decades ago, when he was still fourteen. "I had to wait until age 50 to save enough money to sign up", he points out. "I started racing at a time when most riders have already retired. At any rate, I'm very happy I could make my dream come true. If I recall correctly, fewer than 3,000 people have taken part in the Dakar since its inception. Being one of them is quite something. I don't want to hear that this Dakar is easy because all the stages are in Peru. I don't think there's a tougher race anywhere in the world."