Woman power at Dakar 2017

With the sixth stage of Dakar 2017 cancelled, we take a look at one of the women riders participating this year

Amidst all the crazy action at the Dakar, Laia Sanz (KTM) has been steadily progressing up the ranks finishing stage 5 in 20th position.

The Dakar might be known as the toughest rally in the world but to say it is a man's playfield would be unfair. Since the first edition in 1979, over the years there have been 32 women participating in the bike category of which 23 finished the arduous rally, some even in the top 10 and some finishing in top 5 in the stages. And they are not your rookie riders, most come with racing backgrounds. Of this, Laia Sanz is perhaps the one with the most credentials. She has 17 world championship titles under her belt (including four consecutive World Enduro Championship wins). The 31-year-old Dakar veteran secured a 9th place finish in the 2015 edition - the highest ever for a woman rider. She is participating in this year's Dakar. Sanz finished the fifth stage in 20th place and is in 15th position in general standings.

At the start of the rally, Sanz quoted, “My objective is to finish in the Top 15. It is a race that is becoming more and more difficult because the teams are reinforced and they invest more. The riders are also younger and better prepared. It will not be easy but I think that aiming for a spot in the Top 15 is a realistic goal. Obviously it will depend on the configuration of the event. In any case it is a question of surpassing oneself. My goal is different than the one I had in my first participation, where I wanted to finish and realise a dream. The challenge today is to get a good result. It's a race that pushes you to the limit: the temperature, altitude, climate ... but the Dakar really has something that keeps bringing us back."

The stage from Oruro to La Paz has been cancelled due to torrential rains falling for the past 12 hours that has made the soft mud unpassable. For now, all competitors are confined to the bivouac and are awaiting information from the officials. The sixth and seventh stage might get cancelled and competitors might begin the eighth stage from La Paz to Uyuni.