With a pair... of arms!
The stage has been, although difficult, fun. We started off on a hard, dusty surface but quickly, and we were soon able to catch up with and overtake several participants who, like yesterday's delay of almost 40 minutes due to two punctures, were starting ahead of us today but their race pace was slower. After a few kilometers, the track became more difficult and winding, with large stones that had to be avoided, which was extremely tiring for both the mechanics and Albert's arms, who needed to put in extra effort to guide the truck and hold on to its lurches. Little by little, the track became faster until reaching the 15-minute neutralization at km 134. After the short break, the track remained fast for about 20 km, and with 200 km left, the race changed course and we entered a sea of sand, off-track, on course, for the remaining 200 km of the stage. It was a fun, though exhausting, 200 km, up and down sandy hills, cross-country. The highlight of the day was the multitude of sandy descents, where the truck seemed to be about to dig its nose into the sand every time we reached the bottom, slopes between 60º and 70º in which you have to accelerate slightly to avoid the truck's tail overtaking you. Very funny, although you lower the first one with respect, in the end you enjoy them. It was a complete stage, easy overall, although exhausting because it was 200 km of sand, with chamois grass, and the effort was maximal because you had to constantly avoid vegetation, stones, and steering on sand, which is always harder. Diesel consumption has skyrocketed today to nearly 2 liters per kilometer. Fortunately, this year, diesel is included in the registration fee, and we get free fuel every day.
