Eric Piroud: “Difficult to replace by a week of skiing!”
At 43 years of age, Eric Piroud has already reached the finish line of the rally 17 times. However, this year again, for his 21st Dakar his goal is simply to make it to the end and not witness again the frustration of a withdrawal. Boosted by the will to reach Senegal’s capital, this speed lover also knows how to deal with the race in a simple and experienced way. Like most of the old regulars of the bivouac, he indeed forces himself not to fight for an overall position during the first week. “I no longer have the level of the best and it would be the best way to crash”. Even tough Eric is a high level biker, he hasn’t forgotten the main aspects of the race like tenacity at the instinct of the track that make the Dakar such an adventure. His words sound like those of a wise man in love with Africa. Maybe because like he says it himself, “seeing Dakar and the Lac Rose will shine your life for a whole year…”