“I'm in a good place physically and mentally”
RIDER FACTS
- Thomas Kongshoj is preparing for his third consecutive Dakar in the bikes. The 42-year-old suffered nasty crashes in both of his first two appearances, but showed incredible mental strength to grit his teeth and make it to the finish line - even setting a new Danish record in 2024 (39th).
- Thomas is only the second Dane ever to ride a bike at the world's biggest rally. Jes Munk made his debut on two wheels in 2011 and came 52nd in 2012. He also drove a Polaris buggy to the finish line in 2015.
- At Dakar 2025, Thomas will be one of only two Scandinavians competing in the bikes, along with Norway's Axel Mustad.
- Thomas grew up watching the Dakar on TV with his father, although he spent years competing in motocross and enduro before discovering rally-raid. He is a 10-time Danish champion and won the national Enduro Elite crown every year between 2013 and 2018.
- His rally-raid CV includes a podium finish at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in 2021. He didn't do any cross-country events in 2024 but did win a couple of enduro races in Sweden.
- Back home he also runs Thomas Kongshoj Adventure, which offers tailored training courses and team building days for offroad enthusiasts.
2025 AMBITIONS
T.K.: “When I started in 2023 I was the first Dane to do it in 11 years, so I'm quite alone up here! Dakar 2024 was really tough because I had a big crash on the penultimate stage. But I was so focused on getting that finisher's medal that I rode 600 kilometres the next day with a broken collarbone and a ruptured MCL in my left knee! I got taped up and my teammates helped me out. We got through it in small steps, 10 kilometres at a time, and we eventually reached the finish line. It was super hardcore. I just knew I had to finish and get that medal. It's taken a long time, but I'm finally fit and strong again. I only did enduro in Denmark and Sweden this season but I'm feeling really good on the bike, better than last year. Dakar 2025 will be my first outing on the rally bike since Dakar 2024, but the power is there. I'm in a good place physically and mentally. This year I will just focus on my roadbook and get to the finish line, I'm not targeting any specific position. There are some nice stages coming up, so I hope to enjoy the ride a bit more. We have some new guys on the team and I think it'll be a great edition. When I'm finished with the bikes I will go over to the cars, that's my next target. We don't have the budget for the Ultimate class so we will start from the bottom with the SSVs. It's a big dream.”
