The route was 63% sand, 10% dirt and 27% dunes and it was very tough because they had to complete this very long section in very cold conditions.
Initially, today's stage was going to be the first part of the marathon stage, so they were not going to have any assistance at the end of the special. But they will be able to count on the valuable help of the mechanics because the heavy rains in Hail and in the north forced them to change their plans at the last minute. The Al Artawiyah bivouac was completely flooded and the organisers decided to move the end of the stage to the Al Qaisumah bivouac.
Joan Pedrero has continued to gain confidence in navigation and little by little he has been feeling more comfortable. The rider from Canet highlighted that the bike worked perfectly and that he was able to set a great pace. Today he finished 19th and is now 24th in the general standings.
Daniel Nosiglia finished just two places behind Joan, in 21st place and 17th overall. The Bolivian rider had a very good stage but made a small navigation mistake that cost him a few minutes. Pato Cabrera completed the special in 35th place and is 80th overall, so he was able to make up some of the time he lost yesterday. Marc Calmet took a cautious approach to this long stage so as not to take any more risks than necessary and to avoid crashes, finishing 53rd and 63rd overall.
Quotes from the riders:
Daniel Nosiglia #54: "It was a very demanding stage. I had a lot of fun. I made a small navigation mistake that cost me a few minutes but I'm feeling more and more comfortable".
Joan Pedrero #17: "I'm very happy with my pace. The bike works very well and today we had no mistakes. I'm gaining confidence in navigation and I have a very good feeling. I'll try not to make any mistakes and to be at the top".
Marc Calmet #108: "It was a very fast day and it wasn't complicated in terms of navigation. I wanted to approach it cautiously so as not to put the day at risk and not to crash. I caught up with a group of 5 riders and I stayed with them until the last 50 kilometres, where we had a part of dunes that was more physical".
Pato Cabrera #50: "It was a long stage and very cold, but I'm from Patagonia and I'm used to it. It was fun, I was able to make up for what I lost yesterday and go at a good pace".
