Photo: dakar.com
The first marathon stage of the 2015 Dakar was definitely not what the overall leader Joan Barreda Bort had hoped for. At kilometer 200 , Barreda suffered a crash and broke the left side of his bike’s handlebar, being forced to ride the remaining 120 km (75 miles) with only one hand.
According to Barreda, he saw that his roadbook indicated a danger in the area, but it did not specify whether it was level 1, 2 or 3. Still, he spotted the hole from quite a long distance, but as the tried to slow down 100 meters (330 feet) from it, his bike slid on the wet, muddy ground and hit it full-on.
Barreda was thrown off the bike, and suffered no injury, but the left arm of his handlebar broke off completely. The Spaniard had to adjust his pace accordingly, and finished Stage 7 in the 10yh position, losing some additional 4 minutes after his bike stopped.
Third in Stage 7 was Austrian rookie Matthias Walkner, followed by Chilean Pablo Quintanilla and another rookie, Toby Price to complete the top 5. Laia Sanz was 18th in Stage 7, while the best Yamaha was Alessandro Botturi’s, who had to settle with the 11th fastest marathon time.
Stage 8 sees the Dakar competitors traveling back to Chile, on the Uyuni-Iquique route, with 784 km (487 miles) of special stage.
Stage 8/7 - Car/Bike - Stage Summary - (Uyuni... by Dakar
Barreda was thrown off the bike, and suffered no injury, but the left arm of his handlebar broke off completely. The Spaniard had to adjust his pace accordingly, and finished Stage 7 in the 10yh position, losing some additional 4 minutes after his bike stopped.
Marc Coma clinches back 6 minutes from Barreda
The battle for the first place is far from over in the 2015 Dakar, as Marc Coma, who was second in Stage 7 gained back around 6 minutes from his direct rival, Barreda. Coma yielded the first position in Stage 7 to Paulo Gocalves and finished only 14 seconds behind him. Coma knows there still are a lot of stages to be ridden and things are not over until the bikes reach the checkered flag in Buenos Aires, and he is determined to not let the Honda rider get away with the title that easily.Third in Stage 7 was Austrian rookie Matthias Walkner, followed by Chilean Pablo Quintanilla and another rookie, Toby Price to complete the top 5. Laia Sanz was 18th in Stage 7, while the best Yamaha was Alessandro Botturi’s, who had to settle with the 11th fastest marathon time.
Barreda still leads but the gap got smaller
Barreda Bort is still the best-positioned rider after seven stages in the 2015 Dakar, and is followed by Marc Coma, who narrowed the gap to only 6 minutes and a half. Goncalves is now third, with Quintanilla almost 15 minutes behind and Toby Price in a very honorable fifth position, some 4 minutes adrift, and within striking range.Stage 8 sees the Dakar competitors traveling back to Chile, on the Uyuni-Iquique route, with 784 km (487 miles) of special stage.
Stage 8/7 - Car/Bike - Stage Summary - (Uyuni... by Dakar
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