Gianna Velarde: “The woman who is leaving is going to be very different from the woman who comes back”

January 4 ^th 2019 - 16:19

Gianna Velarde’s big challenge started six months ago when she learned that the route of the Dakar would take place entirely within Peru’s borders. For this young lady of 24 years, motorbikes are more than a simple pastime, sport and passion. They have also helped here to piece herself back together after having overcome cancer at the age of 15 years old. Almost a decade later, this accomplishment has reached an initial conclusion on the morning of scrutineering. The opportunity of becoming the first woman biker to have finished the Dakar has seen the student in communication scale the heights of concentration, an asset on which she is counting on drawing in order to succeed in her mission: “Every day, I visualise myself finishing the Dakar, because I know that the mind is very powerful. The worst enemy is in my head, that’s very clear to me. It will be a very special trip. I’ll be leaving my home, my family and my cat to race an adventure that is going to change my life. So I know that the woman who is leaving is going to be very different from the woman who comes back”.