He came back more than a month ago, but it feels a bit like yesterday. A few weeks ago, the Dakar ended. Third edition of this motorcycle race that takes place in Saudi Arabia. And among the pilots, a Breton! Julien Jagu comes from Saint-Adrien, near Guingamp, in the Côtes d’Armor. So at the age of 32, this fan of rallies, made those of Andalusia and Morocco to train, and took the start of his first Dakar.
After 12 days of racinghe finished at a very good 32nd place. He looks back on this extraordinary experience.
Memories
Barely a few days after leaving the desert of Saudi Arabia, Julien Jagu admits, daily life is back at a gallop. His family with his little boy, his work as a motorcycle educator…
So obviously he came back full of memories, and above all, unforgettable sensations: “When we find ourselves in the desert we have this feeling of freedom. The wide open spaces give us really special, fabulous sensations. Driving in the dunes with the fine sand or in the slightly stony portions in the mountains; we feel that we’re in the middle of nowhere.”
The Breton marked speed peaks at more than 150 kilometers per hour. “This speed also has its nice side, the adrenaline of being at 150 between camels and dromedaries. You don’t find these sensations anywhere else”says Julien Jagu.
The preparation
After more than a year and a half of preparation, between logistics and physics, Julien Jagu is ready. “I’m not too old yet and I’m not too young either. For this discipline, you need a bit of wisdom because it is still dangerous.”
The Costaarmorican took part in the selection races, in Andalusia and Morocco, but nothing comparable with the mythical Dakar race. “It was a race twice as long as the ones I had been able to do. You can never really train in the conditions of the Dakar. We do it bit by bit. But we have to learn to manage the map, the mechanics, the sleep too. And then as a non-professional pilot, I can’t train in the dunes. So it’s true that when I left I was quite apprehensive, I said to myself, the first objective is to finish this Dakar, to go all the way!“, smiled the young man.
the race
For almost 15 days, the young man spends between 7 and 10 hours on the bike. So you have to know how to manage technical glitches, like when the bike breaks down in the middle of the desert. “I’m not a mechanic, I’m not someone who necessarily has a lot of skills in this area. Today if I have to remember something about what I learned, it’s my ability to adapt. During these two technical problems I was able to keep my cool, finish the stage and then at the end, finish the race.”
Moreover, the next day, Julien Jagu signed his best stage. “In two days I’ve had the worst and the best day on the Dakar. In 48 hours I’ve gone through a lot of different emotions and that’s also what makes the race hectic and exciting”, slips the Breton.
Projects
A race in which he finished 32nd. A way for him to thank his team. “I cross the finish line, I find my team with whom I have just spent three weeks, we are super happy to be here; it gives us incredible memories. What emerges is already the joy of finishing. And then to be 32nd for a first participation, out of 120 at the finish, 150 at the start I believe. I’m just on the lookout behind the professional riders, it was awesome. It makes you want, why not, to go back and above all it’s encouraging”, rejoices the biker.
Why not go back there, but not right away, concludes Julien Jagu. 2022 will be devoted to other pleasure projects as he calls them: work, family and then some motorcycle racing, of course.