Hélder Rodrigues – Two-wheeled ace
He’s the Portuguese rider who has won more Dakar Rally stages than any other. In 2011, he stood on the podium of the top off-road event and became cross-country world champion. For all this and more, he was awarded the title of Athlete of the Year in Portugal. Our best rider assures us, the best is yet to come.
It’s November 2011. The mythical Dakar Rally only starts in January, but Hélder Rodrigues has no time to waste. The rider can only think of this most important of rallies. Last year, he was placed third and stood on the podium for the very first time. This year he wants to repeat the feat, and if he can move up a couple more steps, great! “The Dakar podium was certainly the main goal I achieved. I was behind two official riders, and so, I was the best semi-official rider, the best Yamaha rider and also the best Portuguese rider; plenty of reasons to be pleased. It was a historic result, but to get there I had to endure a lot. I think it was the most difficult Dakar of my career, I had various setbacks, but I reached the finish line with a sense of mission accomplished.”
It involved nine thousand tough kilometres that left him exhausted, but while drinking the celebratory champagne, Hélder already had his eyes on the upcoming stage. The struggle goes on, and when you have two riders like Cyril Despres and Marc Coma ahead of you, the task becomes even more difficult.
Practice makes perfect
It’s not easy getting hold of Hélder these days. If he’s not whizzing round the tracks and fields, he’s in the gym, cycling or running in Sintra, where he lives. And when he’s not doing any of these things, he’s sorting out the equipment and the logistics of his trip to Argentina, which currently hosts a part of the race that became so famous in Africa. When it comes to the Dakar changing continents, Hélder’s no purist. “Both [the Dakar in Africa and the one South America] have positive things. The African desert is more spectacular; however, in South America there are more fans and that’s good for the sponsors.” One of them is TMN and it’s hats off to the Portuguese company for taking a team of outstanding Portuguese sportsmen and women under their wing. From surfing to tennis, as well as golf, kite surfing, car racing, sailing, horse riding, skating and kickboxing, this team is very much on the up and up. Hélder, who this year became the cross-country rally world champion (after winning the last stage of the Rally of the Pharaohs in Egypt) is quick to praise the project. “Until very recently, national sponsors didn’t let us compete abroad, TMN has changed that. It’s support like this that makes the difference between being a world champion or not”, says the rider, who is also sponsored by Red Bull and Yamaha.
Last year those who supported Hélder saw a generous return on their investment. The Dakar podium and the World Championship were just two reasons (in a success-packed career) why he was voted Athlete of the Year at the 16th Portugal Sports Confederation Gala. The choice was made by the Portuguese public, who, in a rare gesture, gave priority to motorsport over football and therefore Hélder over Cristiano Ronaldo.
At the beginning, it was for the love of it
Hélder began to ride motorbikes at the age of seven and when he was nine he got his first motorbike. He didn’t compete, he just played around. At 14, a cousin convinced him to compete and he entered his first race in a regional motocross championship. He came second. “At that time I competed as an amateur, it was something I did for the love of it.” Only when he was 18 did it become more serious. Hélder used all his energy for the competition and wiped the floor with the competition. From then on it was just picking up titles (see inset).
One day, in 2005, he was training with his friend Pedro Amado (who was the first Portuguese rider to finish the Dakar) when he said: “So, Hélder! Are you going to the Dakar, or not? You have to go, this year it starts from Portugal. Hit the road.” That’s when the penny dropped. It was a dream he’d had for some time, but the stars hadn’t yet aligned. He signed up at the last minute and didn’t even have time to train. He packed his things and was on his way. “When I left for the first Dakar in 2006, I only knew how to ride a bike, I didn’t know anything else. They gave me the road-book and I didn’t even know how to roll it up. It was a hell of an adventure.” In the end, everything went well and many debutants would love to come ninth place overall.
The number of races increased, year on year, as did the travelling. As well as being a professional rider, Hélder is also a professional traveller. “That’s why I know UP so well”, he jokes. I likes racing in the United Arab Emirates, “it’s a good pace to compete, despite the hellish heat. I love Argentina and I go to Morocco a lot to train, what with it being so close. Holidays? Hmm…Brazil, where it’s always warm!”. Apart from his usual crash helmets, bikes, parts and equipment, he always takes a camera and ear plugs to sleep soundly.
Now he’s comfortable
“My career has given me many good things: victories, travel, friends and a different way of being in life.” Hélder believes that having dedicated himself heart and soul to the sport, he has acquired more method, rigour and organisation. Things that he puts into practice not only while he’s riding, but also off the track, when managing the team, in terms of the mechanics, in the relationship with sponsors and other “office work” that needs to be done once in a while. Assessing the past, he nostalgically recalls victory in the Six Days Enduro International in 2003. “A magical moment, a tough race but I managed to win by being well prepared.” The only memory he would erase, if he could, would be that of the serious accident he suffered in 2007 in Patagonia. Fortunately, his recovery was almost as quick as his bike.
Hélder know that nothing lasts forever and that, in sport, careers can be short. His plan B, a project for the future, is to work with the same commitment and dedication, whether in the world of motorcycles or not. Another wish is to use his image to help others, whether they’re up and coming drivers or people in need in Africa. Whatever he does in life, the most successful Portuguese rider is living proof that luck protects the bold.
by Maria Ana Ventura
