KNOWING NO
BOUNDS
At the edge of human international six day events my notice and went out early to Amazingly things were to take
achievements there are around Europe, Africa and get some training in,” he said. a turn for the worse, even after
extreme sports, off the Australasia – “The Olympics everything the endurance man had
scale there are endurance of off-road motorsport,” is his “Three and a half weeks before endured so far.
sports – and then a bit description. the start I was out training
beyond that there is and had a big crash. I broke my “Then on the 11th day I broke fi ve
Welshman Craig Bounds. “The next step from there is sternum and did a lot of damage ribs after a bit of cactus got blown
extreme rallies and the pinnacle of to my back and shoulder muscles. into the wheels when I was doing
He completed 9,500 kilometres those is Dakar.” 90 kmh and I got thrown over the
of the most gruelling motorbike “I had treatment from the handlebars,” he said.
race on the planet with a broken Only experienced endurance chiropractor morning, afternoon
sternum, torn back and shoulder motorcyclists are accepted, and evening, but there was “That was more painful than the
muscles, fi ve broken ribs and a after all it is an event where nothing we could do about the sternum, I felt them over every
night sleeping among so many ants competitors have died despite chest fracture. I had some really single bump for the rest of the
he could not see his sleeping bag stringent safety measures. strong painkillers that I took race – it was unbelievable.
or face. every day.
"This had bigger “Every night I just crawled into
He avoided probable death by “I hated each day because of the tent, it was awful. Then on
crashing into a tree rather than crowds than when the pain I was in, but I had the way back to Buenos Aires, I
going over the edge of a cliff in sponsorship in place and I did not dropped some of my energy drink
completing the Dakar Rally. No Argentina won the want to let anyone down. in the tent one night.
wonder these days he does not
fi nd overdue bills a huge worry in World Cup" “My mother was always very
comparison! strong - whatever she said she
“I had to train really hard, cycling would do, she did. She passed
“It was absolutely incredible 20-25 miles most mornings, away two years ago, so I wanted
and defi nitely life-changing – I then doing gym work before to fi nish it for her as well.
have come back 100 per cent getting on the motorbike – while
a different person,” admitted managing to work in between,” he “I thought I would retire each day,
Merthyr’s Bounds. explained. but then I felt I could go on for
just one more day until I got to
“I used to be a big worrier over “If someone had asked me to do a the fi nish line.
lots of silly little things – but not marathon, then I would have done
any more after going through all it at the drop of a hat.” “There was still tissue damage and
that.” ligament damage to my back and
All the training was necessary to shoulder, while the sternum will
It is a remarkable story, of how be able to cope with the extreme take 18 months to two years to
Bounds became the fi rst solo rigours of the Dakar Rally, but a recover fully.
Welshman ever to take part in few weeks before it started things
one of the world’s biggest races. were to get much, much worse. “Each day had been so long and
hard, I was always dehydrated and
He is a motorcyclist who “I was the motorcycle shop you do not feel like eating much
competed for Wales in several manager in a family run business, because you are riding over rough
but when I was accepted for the ground.”
Dakar Rally I obviously handed in
motorcycling
sportingwales
issue7twothousand&nine
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