Rain and bad weather forced the Dakar organisers to cancel the first stage, a decision that enjoyed the wholehearted support of Wessel Bosman. The South African rider suffered like a dog under the Argentinian downpour.
He made it to Villa Carlos Paz wrapped in a bin bag and frozen stiff. “I never thought I’d end up as frozen as this between Buenos Aires and Córdoba”, blurts Wessel Bosman as he props up his KTM in the first bivouac of the 2016 Dakar. “I spent two hours under the rain waiting for other competitors because we’d been told to form a group of riders and head to Villa Carlos Paz by road. I could’ve never imagined such conditions…” He’s not alone. The South African is disappointed at not being able to race in the first special of the rally, but he is adamant that cancelling the stage was the only option. “Apart from the helicopters being unable to take off, there were torrents of water. It was terribly dangerous, with the tiniest brook morphed into a river. Tackling the special would have wreaked havoc. Taking such risks from day one would’ve been reckless.”
Especially for a competitor who had not ridden for almost three months before the start in Buenos Aires. “I broke seven ribs and dislocated a shoulder in October”, he says. “I haven’t had time to get back on my bike since then.”
Despite the first bad experience of this edition, Wessel will remember the petrol station where a good Samaritan gave him a bin bag, which he quickly pulled on before going on to finish the link section.