Today's route was 30 per cent sand, 46 per cent dirt and 24 per cent dunes. It was a very demanding stage, like yesterday's, with the presence of very strong winds that made things even more complicated. The riders had to surf a long stretch of dunes for the first 200 kilometres and make a change of pace to tackle the second part, where they had much faster tracks.
Daniel Nosiglia finished the special in 24th place and Joan Pedrero 28th, keeping them 19th and 22nd in the general standings in the bike category. Pato Cabrera crossed the finish line in 41st place today, while Marc Calmet was 55th, so they climb to 42nd and 59th respectively in the overall classification.
Daniel Nosiglia #54: "It was a very long day, about 850 kilometres in total and I really enjoyed it in the dunes. The second part was faster and although I rode the last 120 kilometres without a rear brake, I'm very happy with the pace”.
Joan Pedrero #17: "The first 200 kilometres were dunes, which were getting softer and softer. I got to the refuelling with a good feeling. In the second part I started to push hard but with the wind it was difficult to recover because I'm very strong".
Pato Cabrera #50: "We started with a lot of dunes and then we had valleys and rocky areas. The wind was a key factor and made me more tense than usual. My arms got a bit tired. I kept a very steady pace and with today's 41st position I climbed up to 42nd overall".
Marc Calmet #108: "It was difficult to concentrate a bit in the morning because the sun was very low and it was difficult to see the track and there was a lot of dust. Physically I feel very good, and that's important”.
