Daniel Sanders faces the Dakar 2024 in about a week after a tough year, in which a femur fracture greatly affected him. However, he has taken solid steps in his recovery and will approach the Saudi Arabia race cautiously but motivated.
The Australian from Red Bull GasGas spoke about his condition in a statement: ‘We have been doing some tests and training in America to prepare for the race and everything has been going well! It has been six and a half months since I fractured my femur – a very long recovery as it was a bad fracture and the healing did not go exactly as planned. I had a quick surgery at the end of October, so the last six weeks have been much better, and I was able to be on the bike for a month of training‘.
As for his approach and expectations for the Dakar, Sanders commented: ‘It seems that the first week of the Dakar will be tough with very long stages, so endurance will be key, as well as having the best bike setup to conserve energy. The plan is simply to start calmly and gradually gain more confidence and speed. Being with the team a lot lately has been very positive and motivating and has helped me regain my confidence. Hopefully, my luck will turn in 2024 and I will have a good Dakar after the difficulties of the past two years‘.
