Mirjam Pol: "It's absolutely fantastic"

Dakar 2018 | Stage 3 | Pisco > San Juan de Marcona
January 8 ^th 2018 - 01:57 [GMT -5]

Mirjam Pol has not been competing over the last few years, but has been present on the bivouac since 2011. This year she is making her comeback to the race and is really enjoying it.

Even though she was not racing, she was never to far from the action. Mirjam Pol is a regular on the Dakar and is among those who sometimes share their memories of the African era, which she experienced as a young rider. She was only 22 years old when she registered for the first time in 2006. Over five participations, this biking enthusiast can boast four completed rallies with 49^th place as her best finish and one title in the women’s race. After the 2011 edition, the Dutchwoman put her bike back in the garage: “At that point, my idea was to take a break and then come back to the Dakar to take part in better conditions. I thought it would take two or three years, but in the end I missed out on 6 Dakars, which is very long!” In the mean-time, Mirjam has still returned to the rally every year, as team manager for Husqvarna or for her friends in the Dutch contingent of bikers. However, this time she has signed up again, with a smile and plenty of ambition: “I’ve never been on as good form and I even found enough sponsors to allow me to take part in the Rally of Morocco during my preparation [in which she finished 21^st]”. Of course, the return to the rally is an emotional time for her, something which she does not deny, but prefers to hide away most of the time: “When I’m on a special, I have to be totally focused on how I ride and on following the road-book. At the same time, it shouldn’t be forgotten that this is the culmination of so much effort throughout the year and that taking part in the Dakar is absolutely fantastic. So, very often I find myself saying ‘wow, I’m a lucky devil just to be here”.