After a seemingly straightforward start to the Dakar on day one, Bendigo's Michael Burgess came "back to reality" for the tough second stage.
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The 685km from Bisha east through the Saudi Arabian desert to Wadi Ad-Dawasir was filled with challenging dunes that brought the best riders to a grinding halt.
"We started in pairs and I was alongside Laia Sainz (multi-winning women's International Trial World Champion) and I had a plan to tap onto the back of her through dunes," Burgess said.
"This plan quickly came to a halt once we came across these little sand jumps that were similar to quicksand.
"I got stuck three times, and I mean not just stuck, my bike was half buried."
However, in true Dakar fashion Burgess had to think on his feet to find a solution.
"I noticed how people were hitting the little sand mounds with a lot of loft on the front wheel so once I was going again that's how I attacked them until I approached a vertical drop and I did a nice little cart wheel down but I was all good and my airbag vest luckily didn't go off," he said.
"I eventually got myself together and started picking off the ATVs and then the cars started passing one after another, what an experience to see them go by."
Burgess, now somewhere between Bisha and Wadi Ad-Dawasir was about to encounter his most dangerous Dakar moment yet.
"It was like a scene out of a movie, five cars and four-wheeler bikes all coming towards me," he said.
"My initial thought was 'I'm dead', but they parted enough and went around, I knew I was right reading my roadbook and then sure enough they all started doing donuts and came back.
"I moved away off the path and just let them all go past me. Day two of the Dakar is not the time to play chicken."
After the experience Burgess was then able to cruise home to complete the 450km special.
He now sits 42nd on the overall standings with a time of 10H 04' 38''.
Spaniard Joan Barreda Bort won the second stage with a time of 04H 17' 56" and is also the overall bike leader at 08H 15' 38''.
They are now preparing for the third stage through Wadi Ad-Dawasir which travels near the Saudi section of the Empty Quarter (Rub' al Khali) where the riders will meet some of the harshest desert conditions on the planet.
"Day two was another tough learning experience," Burgess said.
"Bring on day three."
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