Stéphane Peterhansel: “We are not really seizing the opportunity”

The Peterhansel-Boulanger duo achieved a perfect 7th stage. In the lead, the two men were heading towards their first victory in this 2021 edition of the Dakar. Unfortunately a stone on the road thwarted the plan of the two French people a stone's throw from the finish line, letting their hope of success slip away this Sunday.

« 40 kilometers from the finish I hit a stone, explained Stéphane Peterhansel. It broke a rim. It took us a long time to change the wheel because the rim was crushed on the caliper and we couldn't get it out of its place. We started again several times. It was a bit of a hassle ».

A backlash that the record holder for victories in the Dakar regrets so much the opportunity to widen the gap at the top of the general classification was great.

« It's a shame because we weren't bad in the intermediates. There was some catching up to do today. Unfortunately, we don't really take advantage of the opportunity ».

Finally, Stéphane Peterhansel settled for second place, 48 seconds behind Yazeed Al-Rajhi. Nevertheless, the Frenchman and his co-driver Édouard Boulanger still dominate this 2021 edition with 7'53 ahead of Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel. The leaders now have five final stages to cover to achieve final victory.