The Morocco Desert Challenge is enlisting the help of Hogeschool Gent to test if riders are being properly hydrated. To do this, students from the Belgian college’s Nutrition and Dietetics department have designed a device that measures saliva levels, which all riders stopping to refuel at each stage are to take.

Testing will be conducted and overseen by a professor from the department, four students, and a coordinator from EnduroHealth. Riders who receive too low of a score from the device are to be provided with a special energy drink before they continue the stage. Another drink is then given once they get back to the bivouac for recovery.

The MDC has been vigilant in ensuring competitor safety following a tragic 2023 race, where Dakar Rally veteran and bike racer Bram van der Wouden died in the desert from heat stroke while longtime Dakar navigator Laurent Lichtleuchter was killed in an accident. In response to van der Wouden’s passing, organizers dropped the Malle Moto class (for riders competing without help from teams) and mandated airbag vests for the 2024 race. Racers are also required to undergo heart testing, speed limits for SSVs were introduced, and the overall grid size was reduced from 300 to 200.

The race’s medical team also consists of “nearly 20 professionals, 2 helicopters, the Iritrack system, mandatory cardio tests for bikers, and strict safety requirements for vehicles.”

Hogeschool Gent previously collaborated with the MDC in 2024, when students came up with a digital mapping system to better arrange the bivouac.

The 2025 Morocco Desert Challenge will run on April 5 to 12.

Featured image credit: Hogent