Today we start stage 2, the marathon stage. We are leaving the camp where we have been for two days, but we leave our suitcase behind (they will give it back to us on the 3rd day). We must take everything we will use today and for tomorrow in the third stage, everything we need to eat in today’s stage and tomorrow, the clothes we will wear when we arrive at the camp, sack… it is a stage of self-sufficiency.
We start in the second starting box thanks to the classification of third place, we start with a higher pace than yesterday with very good feelings. A mountain stage with a lot of rocks, but very fun, not heavy at all, since today we don’t have the infinite tracks of the first day, so deserted.
We arrive at the first hydration station located about 35 km away, make a short stop to fill bottles and head out. We continue along some very fun rocky tracks, because we are making quite a few curves, and we pass through more mountains. We are moving at a good pace. At km 45, when there are still 10 km left to reach the next hydration station, we join a peloton and start rolling, picking up a very high pace, where the kilometers go by very fast.
We return to refill bottles, eat a little and go out. At that moment the couple that is in 4th position arrives. We put a little pressure on ourselves and force ourselves to maintain the difference between us and them. We have already got half a stage!
We continue through areas with a lot of stones, dodging some sandy areas and even going through a technical ascent path that lasts one kilometer. From there, downhill and flat until the next hydration station (km 76). Now we have a long technical climb with a drop with a lot of stones, which luckily goes well for us. We have the couple in fourth position very close.
We try not to slow down, but the heat is already pressing very hard, and when there are 15 flat km left and with a much more deserted terrain, I tell Josep to drop a point. I feel quite exhausted, it is like we are not moving forward. With 10 km left we have already seen the camp, which apparently seems to be close, but in reality we still have 10 km to cycle. But after the 92 km that we have done, the end is already there, so, strong mind and pedal because the finish line is very close!
We are still on third position, although the main goal is still to finish the Titan Desert Morocco 2022!