STAGE 2, Almost died from thirst.

STAGE 2, Villa Carlos Paz - San Juan

Liaison sections: 107 km
Special stage: 518 km
Total: 625 km (But it was modified due stage cancel)

In the Dakar the days start very early, I headed to the start of the liaison or transit stage very early but only after waking up Boldbaatar, we didn’t get our wake up call.

Both Boldbaatar and I were late for our start on the second day. The Dakar procedures are not easy for us to understand, Boldbaatar speaks very little English and I speak no French or Spanish, it is not easy to know what we were supposed to do.

I was 11 minutes behind schedule and Boldbaatar over 40! The start line personnel walked over to me shaking his head, he said “go!” and I took off down the road. During the first 150 kilometers there was a difficult downhill, we dropped over 2000 meters to sea level, the cliff side was so dramatic I felt vertigo, it was like I was looking out of the window of an airplane.

At the 150 kilometer mark I encountered my first experience with Fesh Fesh or silt beds. The fine, powdered dust infiltrates everywhere and hides big holes, rocks and bumps. I struggled in the powder that was up to 50 cms deep. Just before Control Passage or CP 1 I stopped to ask a rider named #159 Carl Hagenblad if he needed help, his bike quit then quite unexpectedly started again so I hopped back on my bike and continued on. My confidence built up, I started getting the hang on riding my new bike and the conditions, after CP1 I was on the gas a bit more and caught and passed a number of bikes. This was a bad idea, not long after, I missed a 90 degree turn because I didn’t read the road book and narrowly avoided disaster by jumping a large sewer pipe and ended up in a farmer’s field. I dodged a bullet, I was ok and learned a valuable lesson, that being, ‘read the roadbook!’

It was now becoming very hot as the day passed, I crashed again, this time on a sand hill. It was 48 degrees Celcius when I sat down to rest, catch my breath, I began to feel dizzy, I removed my helmet and jacket, I sweated out all bodily fluids, I was becoming severely dehydrated. I nearly passed out. I tried to continue, I fell again in some Fesh Fesh, I could not manage my energy levels and progressively felt weaker. There were many other competitors who caught and passed me who were in a similar predicament, they were exhausted but could offer no assistance I was completely dehydrated and the situation was serious.

At kilometer 359 of the Special Stage and only 18 kms to CP 3, the riding was so tough there were a number of medical cars and helicopters in this area helping the riders. The front runners went through this section hours earlier, being the last 40 riders, we hit this section at the peak of the heat. It takes 1 hour to pass last 18 km. I virtually crawled into CP3, I was so thirsty that the first litre of water I was given felt like a drop. I drank 2 more litres that was given to me by a French doctor. I was fortunate that he spoke fluent Russian and advised me to drink 10 litres per day and carry as much water as possible. I credit him for saving my life.

We waited for the signal to continue, the temperature was indicated 48 degrees and there were 159 kilometers left to ride in this sauna. I was faced with wresting my 135 kilogram motorcycle in this inferno without water, I thought that my Dakar was over on this brutal second day, with 30 seconds before we were supposed to leave the Dakar officials started shouting and waving their arms, the stage was cancelled! My fellow competitors started cheering, hugging and tossing their helmets in the air with the news! I forgot my pain and smiled, sadly 14 competitors didn’t make it from CP2 to CP3 that day, their race was over.

We were then re-routed around the difficult section but still had 200 kms to go on a transit stage. 

When I arrived at the bivouac our support had not yet arrived again and my teammate Boldbaatar was no where to be found. He left CP 3 ahead of me on the Special stage before it was cancelled, I began to worry about him but fortunately he was waiting with about 20 other riders and the officials informed them of the change to the route.