N° 022 - TEAM SWEDISH ARMED FORCES
- BERGLUND
- Thomas
- SWE
- 29/09/1969
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Thomas Berglund: “The Dakar is the ultimate challenge”
An officer in the Swedish army, Thomas Berglund will take off for his second Dakar this year, extremely motivated after his excellent 19th spot overall last year. “I give myself three Dakar rallies to finish in the top ten”, admits this pillar of a family of bike fanatics (his wife goes around on a 125cc and his 7-year-old daughter already rides a mini-bike). In 2007, this experienced enduro rider who had almost no knowledge of African rallies mainly feared navigation. “It was really tough at the beginning but then I improved slowly but surely. Halfway through the race it was going a lot better”. This time the military who believes he can finish among the 15 best riders, is a bit worried about his preparation during the past year. “I wasn’t able to return to Africa to train, I hope that won’t prove to be a problem”.
For all the remaining part, Thomas Berglund hopes to enjoy himself in an event that he considers like “the ultimate challenge”. “I had loved the spirit of the Dakar and the wonderful places that I was able to discover last year”, he says. Concerning the lack of sleep and other physical challenges witnessed during the race, he almost sees the Dakar like holidays: “I’m so used to a hard life in the army!”
