The will in the desert

“Nel Sahara la vita evapora come nebbia” scriveva Saint-Exupéry dopo esser rimasto disperso per tre giorni nel deserto nel 1935. But he did not know that that experience of extreme contact with death later would also be on daring motorcyclists. This is the story of Aldo Winkler and his Paris-Dakar from 1989.

The protagonist of today's story is Aldo Winkler, race number 129 of the Paris-Dakar of 1989. During that edition of the competition, Aldo broke his motorbike and was lost in the desert without food or water.

Somehow he thus collected the will of Saint-Exupéry (autore de “Il Piccolo Principe”) who had the same experience in 1935 and Thierry Sabine who was just after surviving a similar story in 1977 che decise di realizzare la Parigi – Dakar, the race in which Aldo is participating when his bike breaks down, leaving him alone in the middle of nowhere.

Quella di Aldo Winkler – personaggio noto nell’ambiente anche per le sue attività imprenditoriali – è una storia che ha sempre destato curiosità e che ha alimentato il fascino della grande corsa nel deserto. It was he himself who told the press, especially on the number 2 of Moto Sprint del 1989 and to the journalist Alfredo Filippone for the magazine Rombo. It is also mentioned in the beautiful book “Dakar, l’inferno nel Sahara” di Beppe Donazzan. E chissà quante altre volte gli è toccata raccontarla… Una piccola scocciatura in cambio dell’esser sopravvissuto quattro giorni nel deserto. Now that I've spoiled the ending for you, I'll let you find out how by listening to this episode of my podcast.


Storie in Moto and the podcast in cui racconto… beh storie in moto! Protagonists are exceptional and ordinary motorcyclists, epic or everyday adventures, the important thing is that there is a good story that is worth remembering.

I listen to it, I make it mine, I write and read it in this podcast, also a way to better endure this period in which we are forced to home.

You can listen to it on my channel YouTube, its Spreaker, its Spotify or his Google Podcasts.

Good listening!

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I am convinced that an informed motorcyclist is a more aware motorcyclist and in his own small way he will act for a better world. For this reason, the articles and videos that I publish on Motoreetto.it are accessible to everyone and without advertising banners because the information must be open and shared.
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