On The Pegs February 2018 - Volume 3 - Issue 2 | Page 131

On The Pegs
Vol. 3 Issue 1 - January 2018
P 131
Sanz calls it ‘The Scarecrow’:
“I started doing it when I was
riding in trials. I have to do small
jumps while I push a weight to the
front and up. It is pretty intense as
I use the arms, back and legs,” she
explains.
She also rides bikes and motor-
bikes regularly. “On my motorbike,
I tend to do two one-hour series,
but it depends of where I am and
what’s the terrain like.”
Diet will be key too, and Sanz is
well aware of that. With stages up
to eight-hour long, participants
only get liquid provisioning during
the day.
“I lost around 6-7 kilos [during her
first participation] as I had trouble
eating,” she recalls. “It’s very diffi-
cult to eat when you have to wake
up every day at 3am. But it’s key for
me now. I make small sandwiches
and I take bars, nuts and fruits with
me. I have it all in my jacket and I
eat during the day, before the start
and when refueling.”
The 31 year old will once again
be riding the KTM 450 Rally as she
teams up with the Austrian manu-
facturer that has won the last 16
editions of the Dakar. Sanz and her
team of engineers and mechanics
will all be out to play their part in
keeping this successful run alive.
“A realistic objective is to finish in
the top 15 but, if I don’t fail, I can
take an even better place.” n