The first stage of the Dakar has concluded, with Joan Barreda finishing 13th. The Hero MotoSports Spanish rider had his time adjusted due to stopping to assist his teammate Joaquim Rodrigues, who had a fall, and ended up trailing 22m43s behind his teammate Ross Branch, who secured the victory. Overall, he is in 15th place, 23m49s behind the leader.
Quoted by Sport, the rider described the stage: ‘It was an extremely tough stage from the start with navigation issues. It was chaotic. I was in first or second gear, and it felt like I was in a bad position on the bike because I couldn’t accelerate. Whenever I tried, the bike would start bouncing around, and it was very dangerous. You have to find a compromise to slow down a bit. It was an incredibly tough stage, but the goal has been achieved’.
Regarding tomorrow’s stage, Barreda outlined his goal: ‘Try to fight again with the riders at the top. It was a tough year, hardly rode for almost six months. Psychologically, you have to be very strong. I was on the bike, had 100 kilometers left, and it felt like I was doing another series of exercises in the gym, giving everything’.