Swiss-born Konny Looser used his experience to win the Desert Dash for the third successive year at the weekend.
The 369km endurance race ended in Swakopmund, Namibia, on Saturday.
“I knew what tactics to use from my experience over the previous years,” he told In the Bunch today.
“But it was still challenging because you can never be sure your plans will work out in a race like this.
“I had some stomach problems but everything worked out perfectly.”
Konny Looser’s experience in the Desert Dash helped him triumph when the 369km race finished in Swakopmund on Saturday. Photo: Supplied
Looser, 28, beat second-place Max Knox by almost an hour but admitted he had been wary of the challenge the South African would pose.
“I was nervous when I saw Max was going to take part. He was clearly the co-favourite.
“I know him quite well from previous marathon races. He rode strongly at the beginning, but spent too much time at the halfway point. That’s where I got ahead.”
Looser, who had won the overall Wines2Whales title last year, as well as the Durbie Dash MTB Race in October, had planned not to get isolated throughout the ride.
“I knew I had to stick with the pairs and four-man teams to avoid riding into the strong headwinds on my own.
“I made the right decisions and rode a near perfect race.”
One of the other challenges was to keep up his nutrition and hydration, he said.
“I lost my second water bottle at about 100km and had to ride with one bottle until the halfway mark.
“I had to stop and refill the bottle in between, but it was difficult to make do with one bottle for about 45km. I nearly got dehydrated.
“The speed, altitude and high tempo of the race from about 30km were intense and I couldn’t eat as planned either,” Looser said.
The Swiss BiXS Pro rider was elated to end one of his most successful seasons on a high.
“I showed my quality as an all-rounder this year,” he said. “I’ve been very consistent.
“I won the Swiss marathon championships, the Swiss national marathon series and the Salzkammergut Trophy and finished second overall in the Swiss Epic.
“This win away from home was great to top it off.”
Looser said he would now take a four-week break before resuming his training for his next race in Europe in April.
