Paris Dakar Stage 38

Stage 38 of 60, day 45 of 71: 68.8 km, 840m, 3:01, 160 shifts, ave speed 22.8, max speed 53.4

It was really nice to sleep in for once. We had breakfast outdoors, breads, jam, eggs, juice etc. We left after 9:30 on an alternative route Wytze and I cooked up. After a couple of km it turned to dirt, then to a narrow dirt trail rather than a road. Bart and Daniel were unsure due to their tires but in the end we decided to give it a try. It was about 2 km more of dirt, rough at the end.

Then we came out onto a provincial road that was paved. We hit it in the middle of a big chaotic market, people everywhere. We back-tracked a bit to have a cultural experience. We ended up spending an hour, having drinks and really enjoying the time.

We finally left and headed out on the narrow road. It went right in the right direction; we went non-stop for 25 km until it hit the national highway, RN 10, we would take to camp. We took this quite a way, up one hill, and we’re starting to get hot and thirsty. Bart was out of water. At a gas station they said to go 2 km more and sure enough, there was a nice looking restaurant with pizza on the menu. Daniel bought us cookies and we learned the value of cookies in a big bag versus pizzas written on a menu. Pizzaless, we ended up consuming 7 liters of water and soda. Then some fries, panini etc. Bart also needed one of my bars.

Fortified, we figured we could make it to our destination town, Taliouine. We found a restaurant with reviews that seemed good, or maybe we were at the next door place. Anyway, we had lunch, tajine de legumes for Bart and me, meatier for Daniel and Wytze.

Then down to the campsite where we found the trucks, crew and the first few riders. The official stage was over 155 km with lots of climbing and headwinds. Quite a few people did only a portion. It was fun to get back in the group and tell others of our adventures. I found shade for my tent, had a shower and did laundry, ate a few more snacks, then retired to the pool to write this.

After a super nice mini party with Ype it was dinner time. The group is a little smaller now, under 30 riders, but dinner was great as usual, with delicious apple crepes for dessert. Here’s hoping for another great sleep tonight since tomorrow is another full stage, to our first bush camp (no shower, toilet, charging etc).