Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/111599
INTERVIEW P68 CYRIL DESPRES Much like in the Tour de France, you have a ���domestique��� or water boy whose job it is to help you win the race. You���re water boy, Ruben Faria, finished second in this year���s race. He makes your job easier, obviously. Ruben is with us in the Red Bull KTM team since now four years and in four years we win three Dakar ��� a good percentage, I think. He needs to always be here and I can count on him no matter what is going on. We became friends and it became so easy to work together. We don���t have to speak, we can see��� we understand each other and it was bad this year because I arrive at one point where I damage my front wheel, but just a little bit. We arrive at the point where we have to refuel the bike, in the middle of the stage, 250 kilometers, and I said, ���Wow, what do I do?��� I need to take the key [spoke wrench] and put a little bit more tension on the spokes, or do I take my sh*t wheel and take his good one. He gave me so much support to be here, so if I have something I can turn around in a couple of minutes and he will be here. I didn���t want to give him the bullsh*t in case my front wheel is done and that���s why I refueled the bike, had something to eat and I put some more tension on the spokes. Luckily, I finished the stage. I can count on him always. How much longer are you Despres will try to win a sixth Dakar in 2014. going to do this? Will it become his turn? He is very clever, you know but his navigation is not that good. It is coming every year and we train together and we go practicing together. He lives in Portugal, 2000 kilometers from my house, but we are spending three, four days a month together. Sometimes we are doing KTM test, riding bicycles in the mountains, sometimes Michelin test. He learn a lot about us, all of us. The team��� KTM. It���s a difficult sport. Dakar you cannot win alone, you need a strong team. And you started out as a water boy��� Yes, I was the water boy for Jimmy Lewis, for Nani Roma��� I was there to help them. I have to bring this up��� but the incident with the mud in last year���s Dakar. The video shows you leaving Paolo Gon- calves behind after he helped you��� It���s no problem. Paolo Goncalves is a guy from Portugal and my teammate is a guy from Portugal too. They are good friends for 25 years and they start together. In the video, the media doesn���t show or film exactly what was going on. When he helped me to go out of the mud, Ruben was the next one, he started 11th and already 10 guys were in the mud, except for Marc Coma. I said to Paolo, ���I leave but Ruben will arrive.��� I was leading the race and I thought I���d lost the race there. 150 Ks after this accident, I see Paolo arriving and Ruben and there was no problem. He was 14th overall and I was leading. He understands exactly. I hope someone will help him if he is leading the Dakar one day. There is no problem, but it���s the media, you know. CN