Mirjam Pol has reached the end of the first part of Dakar 2023 as the only lady in the race. The women's trophy had only two competitors start and the other has already retired - the other is Sandra Gomez Cantero (Rieju XRaids Experience/KTM).
After finishing the prologue 30 seconds apart - in favour of Pol (HT Rally Raid Husqvarna), the two riders were on an even level throughout the opening days.
After the second stage Cantero was leading by more than 20 minutes, but in the following stages she lost momentum and her aspirations suffered a coup de grâce when technical problems in the sixth stage left her out of the standings.
From then on, Pol was alone among the ladies and now she will have to reach the end to consummate the victory. As for Cantero, she was forced to leave the scene before the eighth stage - saying a tearful goodbye in a video posted on social media after all the investment made in this participation and the physical challenges overcome: a lumbar hernia and mononucleosis.