What it takes to prepare mind and body for the toughest race on the planet

Daniel Sanders: I’ve been lucky enough to go to the Red Bull APC [Athlete Performance Center] in Austria many times. Sometimes it’s been to help my recovery from injury, but other times I’ve been there just to focus on how I can get better on the bike. If I’m coming back from an injury then we work on getting my strength back. It’s a place where you push your limits and this helps a lot when you race the Dakar. Even if you’re at the APC with an injury the vibes are always positive.

Lucas Moraes: At my first Dakar I suffered from motion sickness, so I now do exercises which help to prevent it. Also, if I know it’s going to be a long stage with lots of ups and downs I’ll take some medication that helps to avoid getting motion sickness. So it’s a combination of a little bit of medicine and also some training that I do before the rally.

Luciano Benavides: The physical and mental demands of racing the Dakar Rally are extreme. We’re riding at 150kph for hours and hours alone in the desert for two weeks. Nobody sees the risks you take and it can feel very lonely out there. That’s why it’s so important to work on both physical and mental resistance. It’s also true that you’re training for a race that cannot be replicated, therefore it’s a challenge.

Daniel Sanders: I like to have a rave cave in the morning at the Dakar. This helps to break up the nerves and helps me to get in the zone. I just focus on the music and start jumping around the camper van. It’s a way to get everyone’s vibes up, to have a bit of fun and help take the pressure off. Jumping around in the rave cave also helps to get some food down.

Lucas Moraes: The Dakar takes you away for a lot of days and this is definitely the toughest part for me. But I try to do my best for my family back home and they all follow the race on TV and on social media. My daughter always asks me to bring her home a trophy! It’s tough to be away from home, but I try to use my job as a professional athlete to show my kids that they can also chase their dreams when they grow up.

Luciano Benavides: Consulting with my psychologist is a great benefit for me because I release all of my frustrations after every stage. I tell him what I felt, my doubts, my fears and the good things as well. It helps me to make sense of the race and brings back my focus to the next day’s target.

Daniel Sanders: The best way to deal with getting lost is to recognise your mistakes quickly, so a small error doesn’t become a big issue. Now when I make a mistake I come back to the last note in the roadbook where I know I was 100 percent in the correct place. Then I’ll start reading the notes aloud and talk myself through it. It’s also a good moment for a drink or some food if you’re feeling dehydrated or lacking energy. When you get lost it gives you a scare, so it’s a good moment to make sure the brain is switched on and you’re fully focused on where you are.

Luciano Benavides: Every stage is different, so I adapt my riding style all the time. I also factor in my own tiredness or any injuries I have. Being adaptable is one of the keys of the Dakar because you can be the fastest rider at the start, but keeping that going for two weeks is very difficult. You have to be very smart and listen to your body when you’re tired because you will experience fatigue no matter what.

Daniel Sanders: We have a lot of weight on us going racing each day on a heavy bike. Just our boots are 5kg, the airbag vest is another 2kg, the helmet is a kilo and we take three litres of water out with us. It’s tough to take all that weight racing for 14 days. To get ready for the Dakar, I do as much cardio as I can. When you’re feeling strong you can focus on using your skill on the bike rather than just trying to hang on. When things are going well you can let the bike do the work and just float along on top of it.

Luciano Benavides: When the Dakar starts, your mind and body are both fully charged and ready to go. Then after a week your mindset might still be great, but inevitably your body will be tired. Maybe the mind thinks you can go faster than the body can manage. Striking that balance between what is mentally and physically possible is the most difficult thing about the Dakar Rally.