Tosha Chalayna suffered a splinter in the arm in the middle of the Dakar. “It was so big. I asked the doctor if it was dangerous. When I pulled it out, it started bleeding.”

valencian Tosha Shalayna finished in 5th place at stage 2 of Dakar 2026 And even now, he is fighting with all his might to aim for the throne. Last year’s runner-up was 3 minutes and 34 seconds slower at the finish line compared to the winner and new leader. Daniel Sanders, 4th place overall at 4’41”. Upon arriving at the bivouac AlUlaIn front of the Spanish press, including the MD, he stressed that there was still a lot of rally left, and although he had lost more time than he would have liked on this stage, “It’s only the second day and we’re there.”

Tosha looked at her arm. MD heard a rumor that he had fallen asleep and asked him about it. On full stage. However, the Valencians justified the information, It was revealed that what happened to him was that a large thorn in the plant area got stuck in his right arm. and, A lot of blood came out when I removed it, but I was able to continue without any problems even though it was swollen.

“My arm wasn’t sleeping, but after the first 100km I got a splinter. It was very, very big.”. I saw it at DZ (checkpoint) and removed it. And when I took it out, it started bleeding and it was swollen. And at the refueling point I ask the doctor: “Is this dangerous?” And they told me to just keep going and nothing would happen,” he told the paper with a final smile.

Stage overview

“The truth is, it was good. It was 400 kilometers. We had everything today that we didn’t have yesterday with rocks. There were just some dunes at the end, but it was good. I felt comfortable.”

We had to get through the stages today, so that’s it, we had to get to the third stage completely. We knew it was going to be tough for the first three cars, so I think we’ll be in a good position tomorrow as well.

strategy

“We followed this a little bit, and in the first three stages we were able to be there all the time, especially because we knew there was going to be a lot of locking, so we tried not to take any risks. I think that will be key by the second week. And today we had to be there again in the group to not lose any time.”

I lost a little more than I wanted to, but the last part is, I look in the dust and think, oh, maybe they made a mistake or I’m catching them, and I think they lost a little more than they should have. But yeah, I think we’re doing a good job. It’s only day two, but we’re getting there.

It feels good to ride a bike

“Is it safe to be on the bike? The truth is, yes, everything is working fine. I don’t think anyone is doing well on the stones, but, well, the bike is working. I see that the tires are arriving better than the others. So, well, that means we’re saving money there.”

Has the rally been as expected?

“Well, we knew it was going to be a tough rally, just for the second stage, but it’s always tough. The Dakar is always tough and they always say it’s going to be tougher, but we’ve already reached a point where it can’t be any tougher.”

But, well, as they said, I think we’re having a very difficult time at the moment. Until I pass tomorrow, there are three stone steps to Patamama in Aton, so it’s pretty much as expected.

Edgar Kane’s great beginnings

Yes, the truth is, of course, we already knew that. He got a good rhythm and made a really good prologue, that’s all, right? When it was his turn to get open, he got open and hooked Saunders on the play, so I think he’s in a really good position, and eventually they’ll pull him as well and help him get there. ”

4 minutes 41 seconds from leader

“Well, you know it’s minute by minute these days, right? Everyone’s so tight right now, but last year, for me, I started losing seven or eight minutes in the first stage. So, well, I think I can go that far.”

Are you worried? no

“No, I’m not worried about anything per se. But when it came to the motorcycle issue, I knew it was going to be difficult and delicate.”

“There’s going to be a lot of rocks, so we’re following a little bit of the strategy that everyone else is doing, right? But I think we’re moving in the right direction.

Stage to attack?

“Well, I think it’s going to be like that day by day. Not that I don’t want to say it, but damn it, there’s no one out there who wants to attack this.

When you feel strong, or maybe you don’t have a plan, but you wake up in the morning and you’ve slept well and you’re motivated, I think the Dakar is a little bit like that, you can make a plan, but then there are so many kilometers and so many things that happen and you can really study everything and then you can turn it around. ”