Following the World's Greatest Race

So what’s it like to ride a BMW motorcycle through Argentina, Chile and Peru during the Dakar? I can only describe it as that Rock Star feeling. It’s impossible to explain the sensation of having thousands of people screaming in adoration as you ride along the highways and narrow streets of towns. Although the rally runs through the most rural and therefore poorest parts of Argentina and Chile, the people of these South American towns love Dakar because it brings color and excitement into their lives.

We actually share the road with all the racers during what is called the liaisons.  A liaison is sort of a connection between the competitive sections of the event, where the race vehicles must use regular roads to get to the next stage. It’s on these liaisons that hordes of cheering people line up to watch us go by. Our big BMWs seem exotic to these folks, and our special riding suits must look very much like the race guys, so they scream, clap, take pictures and cheer us on, too.

Getting Up Close to Dakar

The really great thing about the race is how close you get to the action. There are no rules for bystanders, except at checkpoints, so if you want to get really close to the action you can. But, you have to be smart about where you choose to stand, because every now and then a car or truck goes off course… and that’s when bad things can happen.

Paso de San Francisco, Serious Altitude and Coca Leaves

Each year that we’ve ridden Dakar we’ve had the opportunity to ride over Paso de San Francisco, which at 15,600 ft., is one of the highest mountain passes in South America. What to do about the possibility of altitude sickness? This becomes a serious consideration because there is a real chance of getting sick at that altitude. Coca leaves... that’s the solution... just like the indigenous people have done for thousands of years. Although cocaine is the primary use of coca leaves, in its native form coca leaves are considered a mild stimulant with properties that minimize the effects of altitude sickness.

Coca leaves are just plain nasty to chew, but they calm you so that the effects of altitude just don’t seem to hit you. What you do is take a “lump” of the leaves about the size of a half dollar, fold them up and put them in your mouth and start chewing. Once the leaves become mushy you put the lump between your cheek and gums and just let it sit there. The juice provides the needed effect, however if you cannot stand the taste (like me) you can make a tea from the leaves for the same results.