Stage 54 of 60, day 63 of 71: 133.2 km, 430m, 4:03, 109 shifts, ave speed 32.8, max speed 55.6

Given how used up I was from yesterday’s ride I was a little worried about how much rejuvenation I would get overnight. But it worked! I woke up early, around 5:30, feeling pretty good. Going to bed before 8pm can be great 👍 I went out to do my morning business before it got light and it was surreal. A giant truck and earthmover arrived and drove right through our camp. The guys made a ramp out of sand so the earthmover could drive onto the truck, but it was right by one of our tents, strange.

Breakfast was normal and we took off. Wytze, Daniel and I stopped at every possible drinks place, including the town at 5 km.

At 20 km we drank lots more, then at around 65 we stopped at the best one: a small hut with a freezer powered by a car battery, full of icy drinks! I had an icy milk melon drink. The guy made us tea and we took some group photos. Some riders had to hang there for an hour to make sure not to get ahead of lunch.

We continued and found lunch; it was getting really 🔥🔥🔥. We knew there was one more stop at 97 km and sure enough we found it. I drank another liter and Wytze poured lots all over me, soaking my jersey.

I can’t believe it lasted 10 full km. Camp was rumored to be at 127 km but after passing Suzanne broken down at 124, we had to continue until 133. It may not sound like much but trust me, those last few km were grueling. The temperature was about 40 in the shade but there was no hint of shade. Just brutal in the sun.

We pulled in and I was very relieved. I had something left in the tank thanks to all the drinks. We sat in the shade, then Jan arrived, completely used up like me yesterday. We got him to drink a ton, wet all his clothes, dumped water on him for a long time and made jokes at his expense. A few people set up their tents but it wasn’t even 3pm and there was no reason to set foot in the sun, except for brief water or soup runs to the kitchen, 10m away.

That’s it for today. We are very excited to have only about 125 km to go tomorrow to the capital, Nouakchott. We have a rest day there in a hotel and hopes are high for getting the sand out of all the places it has entered. After that, it’s hard to believe but there’s a block of three rides to St. Louis in Senegal and a final block of two rides to Dakar and that’s it! I don’t know anyone who will be disappointed to have this adventure end!

Stage 53 of 60, day 62 of 71: 174.2 km, 390m, 6:07, 89 shifts, ave speed 26.4, max speed 45.6

This post is courtesy of Daniel’s hotspot again as there was no chance to buy a SIM card today and Google Fi really doesn’t work in Mauritania.

Today we started with a deficit, 30 km we should’ve ridden yesterday but couldn’t due to the lengthy border crossing. This extra was into the wind. I didn’t make it easier by leading the pack the first 10 km either.

We finally did make it to where the road turned 90°, which should’ve really improved our day but didn’t somehow. We stopped there at the ‘town’ and Wow, that was a real ‘Welcome to Mauritania’ moment. There were some very dilapidated shacks, one of which had cold drinks – we bought lots. Then the kids discovered us and it was a difficult cultural exchange. They all begged, and one enterprising one even got into my bike bag and stole a bar. The only words they said that we understood besides “Give me…” were unprintable, thanks internet. I understand how amazing we look, and one glance at their homes will give you sympathy for them in spades.

As we left they threw rocks at us and my bike and I were hit again, as was Wytze. We hadn’t had that since one time in the beginning in Morocco.

We made it to lunch at 90 km somehow, I didn’t think I could still pull off another 80 given the extreme crappiness of the road, and the strong side wind. But after eating a bit and drinking a ton, I felt better. The road also curved in the right direction after 20 more km. Some people were bailing to the trucks and the ones who were planning to ride to camp from lunch bailed too. But pretty soon, it was back in the saddle and onto the ‘Pain Train’, as Kris calls riding with Wytze.

We made it 11 km more then stopped at a pretty decent restaurant with cold drinks next door. I inhaled 850 ml of mango drink, good to go!

Wilbert had agreed to stop at 140 km for water so we were counting on that. But at more like 120 we ran into him, stuck in the sand. We tried to push him out but in the end asked a kind driver in a 4×4 pickup to pull him out. We refilled with water and cruised off.

There was one more water stop and a drink shack stop that I didn’t make with the team but caught up and we all continued. At about 160 km, I felt like going slower so I went solo from there. The track ended with no sign of camp, but about 2 km ahead, there it was. Best camp ever! Not really but boy was I used up. I drank then lay on a bench waiting for the sweat to dry. Someone said 38°, maybe in the shade but it was way hotter in the sun.

I drank a huge amount, had soup and snacks, and finally around 5 set up my tent and took a one bidon shower. The water was from my bike and was almost too hot to stand. Yow!

That’s it for today’s post. Dinner will be soon, the sun is just setting and it’s hot as hell here. So far I can’t really recommend Mauritania as a travel destination, but I’m prepared to be delighted later.

It turns out my phone doesn’t really work in Mauritania. So just a quick post, courtesy of Daniel’s hotspot.

Stage 52 of 60, day 61 of 71: 102 km, 240m, 2:52, 46 shifts, ave speed 35.4, max speed 52.7

We rode about 77 km to lunch in the morning, then just a few km more to the border. The short story version is that it took 7 hours to get the trucks and everyone through. Something like four hours of that was getting out of Morocco, with four separate passport checks, by far a record for me.

Getting into Mauritania was similar, quite painful. No need for details but it leaves a sour taste for sure.

The sun was about to set when we finally got out of there so we could only ride about 13 km instead of the planned 40. Our impromptu bush camp was very windy and sandy. Dinner was massive and good, amazing under the conditions. Tomorrow is 172 km instead of 141.

I’m writing this to the sound of sand blasting my tent. Good night!

Stage 51 of 60, day 60 of 71: 159.8 km, 335m, 4:32, 80 shifts, ave speed 35.2, max speed 58.3

It was dewy and windy all night and in the morning and that made for tricky tent packing. After breakfast, at 9, we headed up the dirt road, some riding, some walking. Suzanne had a flat halfway to the road but we all waited and cheered when she made it.

We started out, easy with a tailwind. We then curved around so that we actually were climbing one hill with a real headwind, hadn’t felt that for a while. Around 50 km, Wytze, Daniel, Bart and Kris came by so I joined and rode to lunch with them. There was some really fun racing, with premature celebration, passing and repassing, then huge laughs at the lunch stop. First we had drinks in the shop, then Ype’s lunch.

Finally we had to start onwards, with 83 km to go. This half was more boring and the wind was less good. By km 140 I was feeling tired and dropped myself from the pack. Wytze said later, “Mental weakness.” Kris also dropped then Jonny. I joined forces with Kris and we traded the lead back and forth but I was far from full power. Riding together was great for sure. Finally we made it and pulled into the hotel in Bir Gandouz. We had been warned it was crappy but other than a non-functional toilet and shower drain, the room I’m sharing with Daniel is fine. Sodas are available in large bottles (one liter is good for rehydration). Emily had lots of snacks out too.

My legs were pretty trashed from all the riding – I wasn’t the only one noticing while walking up the stairs. I had a short power nap, then it was time to work on the wine problem. The problem was that we had some bottles left but it’s really illegal to possess alcohol in Mauritania. So we opened a couple along with some walnuts and worked on the problem. In the end there was still one bottle we couldn’t drink so Wytze took the hit and offered to smuggle it (who knows where he’ll stash it?) I said the value would at least double or triple across the border tomorrow.

Dinner was prepared by the hotel, tajine for everyone. That was nice and I even got a veggie one. Dick had made a nice fruit salad for dessert then we spent some of my extra dirham on more desserts and water.

Speaking of the Morocco vs Western Sahara issue: Dick had a funny story. His truck was stopped at a checkpoint and the official asked to see the book sitting on the seat. It was the Bike Dreams wiki guide for this tour. He looked in it, ripped out all the pages that mentioned Western Sahara, then asked how many more books like that there were. Dick thought how every single one of our bags in the truck had one and answered, “None.” Quick thinking! Ype also lost the Western Sahara pages from his copy in his van the same way.

Stage 50 of 60, day 59 of 71: 133.3 km, 185m, 4:18, 46 shifts, ave speed 30.9, max speed 55.5

It was another hot night in the hotel in Dakhla. I stayed up late watching a movie for the first time on the trip, About Schmidt. We woke up at 7:30 and packed up. At the hotel café breakfast was going to take a long time so we walked across the street again and had the same as yesterday, tasty and with a view.

We didn’t leave until 9:30. We had to retrace 40 km from yesterday which meant riding into the wind, but it turned out to be light and no big deal. There were a couple of dirt, under-construction sections along the road. I didn’t stop until a shop/gas station at 77 km where I bought drinks for lots of riders. The owner was really nice, bringing us extra chairs and some dates, all the while smiling and saying “USA good, Biden crazy”. He seemed really happy.

We had a text from Ype sounding maybe a little mad that we rode too fast, but he moved up and put lunch at 82 km. We waited a long time then went there and had a good lunch.

It turned out we were camping at 130 km instead of the planned 151, so we had a short tailwindy ride. The gas station/shop at the turnoff had cold drinks. I was really hot from riding with the wind. From there we followed the Bike Dreams chair marker down a sandy dirt “road” that eventually ended. Off to the north, Bob spied the vehicles so we headed there cross-country. It was mostly rideable, but with lots of sharp obsidian-like rocks. Our tires did an amazing job as usual.

There are sand dunes around camp and we’re finally pretty far from the road. It seems like one of our best campsites yet. Snacks and soup were on. Then I set up my tent, using my bike to anchor it down in the wind. I had a semi-modest 1.5 bidon shower then sat in the shade to write. It may seem like a crazy place to camp but I predict we’ll be missing stuff like this in two weeks when this trip is over.

I had a bit of a nap in the afternoon, then dinner at 7. We had lots of wine since alcohol is strictly forbidden in Mauritania; we cross the border day after tomorrow and have to use it all up. Then I retired to my tent to relax out of the wind.

Our 9th rest day was October 30, 2023. Dakhla is a big city of over 100,000 people. I had never heard of it before signing up for this trip. It’s fine for a rest day as the hotel we’re staying in is clean, we have access to the bikes to do whatever maintenance is needed, and there are plenty of restaurants around. You can go swimming in the bay, get massages, etc. I think most people are like me, really in need of a rest, so are not looking for museums or special touristy things to do. I know I’m not.

Our room was pretty hot last night so Daniel and I had to sleep with the window wide open and the door propped open for airflow. I finally got to sleep after 1am but slept until after 8. We bailed on the hotel breakfast at the café next door since everyone said it took forever and was average. Across the street we had a leisurely good breakfast with Wytze, with a view of the bay.

After breakfast it was time for a session of bike love. My bike has been working great all this time. I cleaned and lubed the chain, and checked to make sure it wasn’t worn out – amazing it’s still perfectly good after over 6,000 km. I swapped out the derailleur battery, checked the tires and did a little more cleaning too. It’s a really amazing machine.

I worked on a few projects on my computer during the day. In the afternoon we met on the roof where Ype brought a bunch of almonds, peanuts, walnuts and hazelnuts from the market we saw last night. It was so nice and relaxed chatting with the view of the bay and several bottles of tasty red wine. What a perfect rest day activity!

Later, we headed over to a seafood restaurant that many others found too. Most of the staff arrived soon after us, and Ype and Emily sat at our table so we could treat them. We had several kinds of salad, then a bunch of dishes, like seafood paella, calamari, grilled fish, etc. Basically from 5pm to 9pm was constant carbo-loading for me.

I’ve been asked about laundry – how do we do it? I usually hand-wash but that’s hard or impossible in the bush camps. Sometimes campgrounds have washing machines, but ideally, you’re in a campground and you can wash all the bike clothes you wore in the day right after a shower, and then dry them in the sun and start the next stage with everything clean. That worked all through France and Spain and parts of Morocco. Usually hotels charge a lot for laundry but you can find local places nearby. When we arrived at the hotel in Dakhla, we quickly found that the hotel would do your laundry for the amazing low price of 17 MAD (€1.50) per kg. Many people, me included, put in bags, to be ready by “noon at the latest” the next day. In reality, nothing was ready until 6pm and mine was nowhere to be found. But at 9:30, after dinner, I spied my clothes in a new bag, labelled with a different room number that someone else had paid for. Everything was there and clean and dry. Still it’s pretty risky and probably better to wash it yourself, at least your precious, destroyable and absolutely vital bike shorts. I learned, back in 2019 in the Andes, that you can actually wear cycling clothes two or even three times without washing. That’s not ideal but certainly it beats bringing six or more sets of riding clothes. I brought two sets with a backup pair of shorts that I haven’t used yet.

Our next block of six riding days will take us over the border into Mauritania, 829 km, to Nouakchott, the capital city. After that we’ll be so close to Dakar, it will be possible to visualize actually making it there. Right now, not so much. It’s still a long long road. If you’re interested, Bob found this article on what the border crossing we’ll do in a few days is like.

Stage 49 of 60, day 57 of 71: 115.8 km, 207m, 3:29, 41 shifts, ave speed 33.2, max speed 55.2

It seemed as if this was going to be the hardest block of rides on the whole tour: seven consecutive rides averaging 150 km per day, all with bush camps. But here the wind determines everything and we had almost nothing but tailwinds for the entire week, including today. So we did do exactly 1,050.36 km in seven days of riding but it was pretty easy. I averaged over 33 kph for that distance, despite climbing over 3200m.

I couldn’t get to sleep early – probably too much of that amazing fudge for dessert. Anyway, the alarm woke me up at 7 and I used the almost comically dingy WC at the gas station where I had the sulfur shower last night. It was unmanned at this time of day but I still left one dirham, a 100% overpayment.

After breakfast, we took off at 9am, riding relaxed in a large group. Rob and Wytze set the pace and with the slight tailwind it had to be the easiest riding of the whole tour so far. After a while Rob dropped back and I led with Simo. We bumped up the pace and picked up Kris at 50 km then Wytze went ahead. We were getting close to lunch and Wytze decided to play the “Catch Brian” game – he had passed us earlier. The pace bumped again from 38 to 45 and we had a breakaway. Only Wytze, Simo, Kris and I wanted to play this game and it felt great riding fast after relaxing all that time. We did catch Brian, just before lunch at 70 km.

After lunch, we had another rogue plan: Daniel’s friend recommended an amazing sounding restaurant called TalhaMar. We invited Kris and rode 23 more km to the turnoff, but it was unmarked, dirt, and looked questionable. We took the second turn-off which looked the same. We offroaded it to a warehouse, went around it, twisted a few more times and finally found the place. They could use some marketing I think. Hidden away completely, it is an amazing restaurant, right on the edge of Dakhla Bay. We sat down and ordered a giant grilled fish/veggie platter, calamari, some mussels and lobsters. They didn’t have many drinks but we had a round of lemon ginger which turned out to be exactly that, no sugar. But Wytze always has us covered. He pulled a bottle of Spanish Tempranillo out of his bag! He and Daniel had just gone for a swim and Wytze sitting in his wet underwear at the table, opening a bottle of wine, with this giant grin…was great. The waiter supplied the corkscrew. The food was delicious with wine and we ate our fill. It was about $12 per person – great deal.

Then we had 18 km to the hotel where we arrived, last, thus following Rob’s instructions to the letter: take your time, have fun and no racing. Well, we only raced a little. We checked in and had glorious showers. I chatted with Katie. Brian came by with an incredible gift: a giant bottle of cold Orangina – he said he saw it in the store and it had my name on it. THANKS!

Daniel and I both took it really easy in the afternoon, that means some serious napping. At 7 we met Bart and Wytze and went out to see about dinner. The only place with beer and wine was expensive, so we walked around town and eventually settled in at a tiny sidewalk pizza place. We think it was the first pizza of the trip although that sounds impossible. Ype joined us too. We had only six pizzas because three of us were still full from our giant second lunch. Plus fresh fruit juice from next door. We had a long walk around town, including through a large night market. Then we just had to go for a beer, so we went to the Villa Dakhla after all. Many of our riders were just leaving and said the food was good. We had a round of Casablanca beer and called it a night, just after 10pm.

Stage 48 of 60, day 56 of 71: 174.4 km, 433m, 4:56, 73 shifts, ave speed 35.2, max speed 55.3

For once I actually woke up from a deep sleep via the alarm. It was quiet enough at night to sleep well finally. The wind was gentle at breakfast, and we headed off around 9 to tackle the longest stage of the tour. Completing this stage means we are 80% done with the tour!

I started the day leading the pack with Kris for 20 km, gently ramping the pace from the low to the high 30s kph. The wind was nice to us and our section went easily. Later, we briefly rode with a Brit and his Moroccan friend but they were fully loaded and could not hang. The pack continued, on and on, with generally worse winds, sometimes feeling like a headwind, but also with a little climbing so we were down to the low 20s, then after an angle change, back in the low 40s.

We pulled in at the first gas station at 82 km but they didn’t have any sodas so we had lunch across the road where Ype and Rigo were set up. Daniel did find drinks at another place and brought me a great gift: 500ml of Schweppes Citron, generally thought of as the best soda here, certainly by me.

Then it was time to go again, this time a short way to a gas station at 111 km. We had a diagonal pace line: Wytze, me, Daniel, Jonny, and Kris in the sweetest inside position. Lots of drinks were consumed, then back at it for the final 63 km. We started with the same group but Jonny and Kris defected on a climb. So the three of us cruised to camp, arriving early, in under 5 hours riding time which I’m pretty sure is my fastest century (100 mile ride) ever. It was awesome to arrive feeling fine, plenty left in the tank. Or I guess nowadays I should say SOC (State of Charge) nowhere near zero.

We had snacks and soup and Daniel even found another 500ml Schweppes Citron! This campsite appears to be the best bush/desert camp yet. We’re right by the cliff, the edge of Africa. The Atlantic is making beautiful music about 50m below. Yes it’s a flat desert but it’s not bad. I set up my tent in a scenic spot; all spots are scenic.

Just 100m from camp there’s a shower of sorts. The attendant enthusiastically ushered me in. His compatriot was heating the shower water in big pots on fires. He gave me maybe 20 liters and a small bucket to dip and pointed to a stall. I gave him 10 dirhams (just under $1) and he was very happy. In the stall is a toilet, the hole in the ground type. And nothing else. I put my clothes on the top of the wall and tried the water. On the plus side the temperature was perfect, almost hot. On the minus side it was very sulphury, and not remotely clear. But it’s one of the better 3rd world showers I’ve had. Just keep your mouth closed! I washed my hair twice, such luxury.

I wrote then fell asleep in my tent. Dinner was great with a super view and sunset and full moon rise. Dessert was Emily’s homemade fudge with oranges.

Back in my tent I had a long and wonderful talk with Katie and finished up the blog. Today was the best day of this block for me, because the campsite is so nice and the riding so easy. Rob gave a strange talk at dinner about how easy we’ve had it and how we should slow down and enjoy more. I say celebrate the win on the easy wind conditions and I think we’re doing quite well on enjoyment! Chill, Rob.

Ok now today’s Rider Profile: our rider is Bart Akkersdijk. Bart rode the Balkan Boulevard with me in 2022 but he also rode the whole 4 1/2 months Andes Trail in 2016, the time before I rode it. He’s very strong and fun to hang out with.

Bart, where are you from and how old are you?

I come from the south east of the Netherlands. 63 years young 😊

How much of this crazy adventure are you riding?

I am riding Paris Dakar totally.

Tell us about your bike…

I am riding on a Trek Continental Grand Prix 5000……on 28 mm tires. My gears 2 x 11, front 50-34. Back 11-34 and now 11-30.

What motivated you to sign up for Paris Dakar?

I really like the Paris Dakar for the route. That means for me crossing France and Spain by bike. And riding in Africa, the first time in Maroc for me. And then there is the epic story of doing Paris Dakar. Not by car….no just with a bicycle!

Do your friends think you’re crazy?

I think that the most of my friends like what I do but/and they think that you have to be crazy also 🫣😃

What else do you want people to know about you?

I like riding the tours with Bike Dreams because of the adventure but also riding  together with a group. And especially a group with the same passion.

Thanks Bart. It’s been awesome riding with you and I’m looking forward to all the remaining stages together.

Stage 47 of 60, day 55 of 71: 144.8 km, 148m, 3:49, 26 shifts, ave speed 37.8, max speed 55.3

I guess you have to take the good with the bad and count your blessings when you have them. Hard or bad things can build character. We had a lot of blessings today. I slept ok, I got to talk to Andrew at home in Australia and I got to see a bunch of camels walking around town. And that’s all before starting riding.

Riding was also awesome. We started out easy in a peloton of 12 riders. You could call it boring and flat, and it was but somehow you get in a good rhythm and the sound of the wheels, the ease of light pedalling, nice conversation, it’s not bad. After some time Kris said, “Come on it’s our turn.” So we led for maybe 30 km and that was even better. So smooth and easy, chatting away.

Louis hit a rock and flatted, so that split us into two groups of six. We continued to the single town of the day, Boujdour. We found a café and were enjoying drinks and snacks that Wytze bought when up rode Daniel, straight from the bakery with bags of goodies. Bart also joined and we had quite a little party, including singing happy birthday to Jonny. What a memorable place to have your birthday!

We had done 80 km at this point and lunch was just ahead but we were warned not to come early. Finally it was after noon and everyone left, but Bart, Daniel, Wytze and I went rogue and headed for a seafood restaurant. We had an amazing lunch, two giant grilled fish of an unknown type. With bread, olives, salad and drinks. All for less than €6 each.

Stuffed, we headed out to do the last 60 km. I started with Bart but he couldn’t hold my pace or rather I his. I am gear limited and can’t go his true speed. Wytze jetted by at warp speed and I rode just behind Daniel to the turnoff to camp at 144 km.

A motorcycle police guy was checking us off a list (or something) and made us wait a while before escorting us to camp. Only it was upwind and he couldn’t tolerate our slow speed so went ahead. It turned out our “camp” is the local dump, with blasting wind, wild dogs and crap everywhere. That’s the character building part of the day.

After soup, I set up my tent with massive rocks to hold it down and had another comical naked outdoor shower, 1.5 water bottles worth. I helped the staff blow up balloons for the party. Because when someone has a birthday in a dump you have to have a party. I talked to Katie and showed her our dump.

Dinner was curry with rice, salad and rice crispy squares for dessert and white wine from Spain for Jonny’s birthday. Then we had a super efficient dish washing session with great tunes and the M&Ms reward at the end. Tomorrow is the longest stage of the tour at 174 km. But the wind forecast is for the same so there should be no worries.

Our rider of the day is Joan Donohoe. I rode the entire 4 1/2 months Andes Trail tour with Joan in 2019. She amazed me there by being one of only three riders to complete the tour EFI (every effing inch), and the only woman. She is mentally and physically very very tough.

How old are you Joan?

66

Where are you from?

South Carolina, USA

How much of this crazy adventure are you doing?

Granada, Spain to Dakar

Tell us about your bike…

It’s a 2020 Trek Checkpoint SL7. It’s got a SRAM one-by, 36 in front with 10-52 in back. The tires are Schwalb Marathon Supreme, 32mm front and 38mm rear.

What attracted you to sign up for Paris Dakar?

I was attracted to the trip because I wanted to find out if I would like cycling in Africa.

Do your friends think you’re crazy?

My friends think I am a bit extreme with my cycling adventures. Some are jealous but most think I am crazy to do such things at my age.

What else would you like people to know about you?

I love seeing the world from a bicycle seat. It is so much better than from a car, bus, train, RV, etc.

Thanks Joan!

Stage 46 of 60, day 54 of 71: 155 km, 258m, 4:42, 46 shifts, ave speed 32.9, max speed 48.8

The secret to these desert camps is to get up a little early, 7 to 7:10, while it’s still dark, and wander into a field to do your morning business. Then you can pack up leisurely and make it to breakfast at 8 easily.

I didn’t sleep well due to our campsite being right by a police checkpoint on the main road that had lots of activity all night long. From midnight to 2am I was awake wondering what it would be like to be sleeping at home in blissful quiet and dark. With any luck I’ll find out in less than three weeks!

After breakfast we left in a group and rode 40 km to the largest city in Western Sahara, Laâyoune. The usual suspects turned off to explore the city while most of the others continued. The city was pretty amazing, with more Moroccan flags than you could believe. There were military guys everywhere. There were big public parks and squares and major signs of development, yet it was also dirty and dusty. But the people looked relatively prosperous and happy.

We found a café with the inevitable bakery across the street. Drinks and many pastries were had, then Daniel’s special treat: fresh squeezed orange juice for all four of us.

Then we got back to the main road and continued south. We had a minor excitement of getting stopped at a police checkpoint. After being waved through so many, it was a surprise. But in the end the guy was friendly and since we had no papers not much really happened. He asked if we had motors (maybe he noticed how fast we came in?), and the others said no, but I said yes and showed him my left motor and my right motor (legs) – he laughed.

After a while we got to lunch at 85 km and ate a small amount. We were almost last but didn’t want to rush. We headed off and soon the angle changed so that it was a really perfect tailwind and it had gotten quite strong too. So we lightly pedalled at 45+, so fun. Bart was way ahead and then Wytze went, but there was no benefit to drafting so we all went our own speeds. Soon the angle got worse and I was down to 30. I stopped for a camel selfie.

I just kept at it and sure enough, soon the Garmin read 150 km done and I was almost to town. Lamsiid is tiny, with a gas station/restaurant. I stopped there and had alcohol free mojitos with Daniel. Then to camp. We were behind the gas station, in a big barren field. I joined most of the people camping on a sidewalk by a wall that broke the wind.

It was shower time but of course there’s no shower. So I used both bidons from my bike which had heated up nicely. I carefully had refilled them at lunch for just this reason. I stripped naked by my tent, not far from the main road and peacefully “showered”. Michael had a whole comical commentary about me waving my very white but good looking butt around in the open air. Other parts were included too. You probably had to be there.

Then it was soup, snacks and writing in the shade. Others tried going the 1.5 km to the ocean to swim but we’re stymied by cliffs and very rough water.

Dinner was falafel with other stuff, and crepes for dessert. Delicious!

And today we have another Rider Profile. Today’s rider is Richard Friedman.

How old are you Richard?

61, although with respect to maturity, 14 or possibly less.

Where are you from?

Tucson, Arizona

How much of this crazy adventure are you doing?

Planning to do the whole thing

Tell us about your bike…

It’s a Seven Axiom, with 34 -50, back 13-34. Tire size 700×28

What attracted you to sign up for Paris Dakar?

Adventure, history of Paris Dakar rallies, always up for a challenge!!

Do your friends think you’re crazy?

Verging on crazy, but appreciate the chance to do something like this and live in the moment, and also hope for my sake that Chinese Food and Starbucks are to be found in the Western Sahara and Mauritania.

What else would you like people to know about you?

I’m also into backpacking, astronomy, ants, bulldogs and freshwater planted aquaria.

Thanks Richard!