‘You have to do it all yourself’
Adventurer and engineer is a Lyndon Poskitt Dakar veteran of the class — Rally’s hardest no team riding solo with or back-up
“I’VE ALWAYS HAD the desire to do things differently. I like my own challenges. That’s how I ended up doing the Malle Moto Dakar where it’s you and the bike — no back-up crew. “When I first did the Dakar in 2013, I did it with a team and it was the best way to tackle that race for the first time. After that I said I’d never do it again but, knowing that the Malle Moto class was there to be tackled, I felt like I’d cheated myself because I hadn’t done it the hardest way. I knew that was going to be my next challenge.
“It was also a time thing. The Dakar had always been a goal for me — the same as travelling around the world. I’ll hopefully still be able to go adventure riding when I’m 70, but I won’t be able to compete in rallies at that age, so it was a case of ‘do it now’. I also figured that I could combine the two; race the Malle Moto stages while doing my Races to Places around-the-world trip, which I did.
“Before I got into adventure and rally riding, I worked for 17 years in the aerospace industry. That taught me that you can’t cut corners. If a job’s worth doing, do it right, and I’ve applied that maxim to my riding and racing. In both cases, preparation is everything. You can’t leave things to chance because something will go wrong and issues start to snowball, that will see you fail to complete a stage, a rally or an adventure.
“I’m not big into riding with others, which is why adventure riding and rallies appeal to me so much. Before I got into rally riding, I loved just hopping on the bike and heading off. One time I had three weeks off work, so I rode to Morocco — a 4500-mile trip, half off-road — just for the challenge.
“When I’m on the bike, I don’t think about riding; it just comes naturally. If off-road riding doesn’t come naturally and you attempt a rally, you are going to struggle. Just like with poor prep, you’ll find yourself in trouble pretty quickly.
“Physical fitness is key but, for me, bike fitness is the most important thing. I tend to do my training on the bike, not the gym. I’ll run for cardio-vascular fitness but everything else comes from time on the bike. People ask me ‘what equipment should I buy to train with?’ and my answer is ‘petrol and tyres’. You need to put the miles in, simple as that.
“A rally stage starts around 4-5am. I allow myself an hour to get ready and be on the road, then I can be finished anywhere between 3pm and midnight, so each stage can range from eight to 24 hours. Every stage is different; you never know
what you’re going to come up against. One time, a mudslide meant us having to ride an additional 300kms and seven hours to reach the end of the stage. Rally riding is all about being flexible and willing to tackle any challenge, and that’s the same with adventure riding.
“I broke down in the 2013 Dakar. The fork stanchion had broken away from the bottom clamp. It was completely unattached. Fellow rider Craig Bounds stopped and asked if I needed anything. I said ‘yeah, your fork leg…’. He said ‘don’t give up’ so I stripped the fork, cleaned up the threads and reattached it using liquid metal and cable ties. I nursed the bike to the end of the stage. Although I lost loads of time, the sense of achievement, of not giving up, made all the hassle worthwhile. It’s the spirit of adventure; facing the unknown.
“Riding days can be really long, so I’m religious about hydration. It’s so important. When you’re in the zone it’s easy to forget so I make a point of taking ten swallows of drink every 50kms. Your hydration is really important – you don’t want to run out.
“The last quarter of a race or ride is always hard physically, but it’s also easier on the mind. Any worries you may have had about not finishing are starting to fade. I’m always nervous at the start of a stage but those nerves go the moment I start riding.”
Learn more about Lyndon’s adventures, racing, engineering and more at lyndonposkittracing.com