The bikers were up relatively early this morning for a 7:10am start from Copiapo ahead of a 154km road section which took them south to Vallemar. The seventh stage of the event was divided into two parts, with an initial 143km section up to a time control, then a 60km asphalt link section before the remaining 218 competitive kilometres which brought them back to the bivouac.

The first section ran between Ruta 5 and the Pacific Ocean, near the Punta Carrizol and Punta Cachos beaches, and the celebrated Bahia Inglesa which was packed with tourists enjoying the sunshine. However, only the bravest among them dared joined the seals in the chilly waters of the Pacific which are a cool 15°C along this part of the coast. When it comes to swimming, the Chileans prefer to Argentina's Atlantic resorts!

There was no time for sunbathing for the Dakar competitors who were instead treated to a sweaty ordeal in the Atacama Desert. Marc Coma (KTM/MICHELIN) started at a very fast pace to complete the first week of the 2012 rally on a high note and maintain pressure on the provisional leader, Cyril Despres. The Spaniard was first on the road on today's stage, with his French rival tucked in just behind him.

At 3pm, the two KTM/MICHELINriders appeared at the top of the gigantic dune that towers over the bivouac before the giddy downhill section to the finish. "There were lots of dunes to cross towards the end of the stage," related the day's winner, Marc Coma. "I've managed to claw back two minutes, which is an encouraging bonus ahead of the rest day…"

A good quarter of an hour later, another group of bikers appeared on the horizon, led by Stefan Svitko and the young Joan Barreda (Husqvarna/MICHELIN) who managed to match the pace of his compatriot Coma up to Km289 before losing around 10 minutes after getting stuck in sand. Paulo Goncalves collected today's third fastest time, ahead of Gerard Farres Guell and Norway's Pal Ullvalseter (KTM/MICHELIN).

The first Chilean stage didn't go well for Chaleco Lopez who fell at Km31 which saw the national hero lose a big chunk of time.

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