International Raid Temiscamingue
Raid Temiscamingue: And the rains came...
Carrick Armer / 07.09.2024
The first day of the main Raid Temiscamingue race dawned wet and cold, and unfortunately for the racers, stayed that way.
The teams had at least had some better cover for the night, with the inclement forecast meaning their 'campsite' was inside the local school in Remigny rather than on the grass outside, but despite extra shelter, their sleep may not have been much better. Mustering for the 8am rolling start, some of the teams were making sure their support crews had extra layers and hot drinks on standby for the transitions, and a few were packing larger race packs just in case.
The early stages of the day were a fast mountain bike along good gravel road, then into the first long canoe stage down through the Baie du Tigre. While conditions at the put-in looked fairly benign with just light drizzle and a slight breeze, once the racers came into more open water the wind picked up, as did the swell. Michael and Lake Johnson, the father and son team of 'Those Johnson Kids' came off the water cold and talking about having been pushed around a lot by the swell, Una Hall and Barbara Neiss-May of 'Team Uterati' had had an even worse time including a prolonged swim when they capsized in the waves. Una commented later on how the two other teams near them at the time - both also all-female teams - had been superbly helpful in getting them righted and back in the boat. There were certainly some looks of faint relief as the teams exited the boats at Pointe Carniel, a historic logging camp site now being renovated as a relaxing retreat location - the beautiful scenery scenery unfortunately shrouded, but I bet a few of the racers would have enjoyed a brief stage in the hot tub.
The next bike leg took in a mix of gravel roads and quad bike/snowmobile tracks, following the shores of the Ottowa down to TR4NA (non-assisted) at the Municipality Dock in Geurin, where there was a spectator point and a mini-festival of sorts happening, riders entering the mini-transition under an arch formed of two tractor loaders and a sponsor banner. While the main activity here was the racers crossing a small inlet by paddling a canoe over with their bikes perched across the top, a great reception from the local spectators included music and commentary from the race announcer and waiting teams being given hot coffee and a place close to the fire grate to keep themselves warm while awaiting their turn to paddle. Once across the inlet, the bike stage continued with the possibly the most Canadian of checkpoints: There certainly won't be many races elsewhere in the world where the roadbook reads "CP8 is on a moose". Fortunately for the racers it wasn't a live moose, but a wooden sculpture at a farm. Apparently kissing the moose for luck is a thing, whether that's all moose or just some of them I don't know, and no-one said whether it's good or bad luck but still, at least two teams kissed the moose while I was there.
More biking on snowmobile trails brought the racers to TR5 and the start of their longest foot stage of the day, starting on quad track but then veering into a bushwhack down a powerline clearing to the days ropes section. The first activity was a 25m abseil down a slightly slippery rock face, with a small overhang at the bottom catching a few racers out just before landing. From there, they clipped themselves into the safety line for a short slackline, with the CP sited on a rock in the middle of the crossing. Techniques varied somewhat, with some racers looking shakier than others on the slackline - could be down to fatigue and the increasing wind and rain, though. The trek/run leg continued from there, alongside the Ottwoa and past L'île des Rapides, where day 2 of last year's race started (albeit in much more clement conditions!) to TR6 and the start of the final paddle.
Only six of the teams had made it through to the finish when we were notified by the organisation that the deteriorating weather meant they'd made the call to close the last paddle leg. Rising windspeeds meant the final paddle was becoming more difficult; with later teams only likely to be further disadvantaged, the decision was made to get all teams back to base as soon as possible. Team Uterati and team Cath & Au had both already taken their own decision to skip the paddle and use their bikes to get to the finish line, something that was written into the routebok as a time cutoff option rather than a poor weather choice, but the final five teams who arrived to the transition after 3pm were picked up by their support crews from TR6 and returned to the finish line, at the Timiskaming First Nation.
At the sharp end of the race, last year's victors, team Def Leoppard had taken a four minute lead from the Finnish Northern Adventure Team, in a replica of last year's podium. Just five minutes behind them were Raid Bras du Nord, with multi-Olympian Lyne Bessette and Canadian Orienteering Champion Phillipe Cote-Jacques.
With more rain and winds forecast overnight, the start of tomorrow's race is surronded by question marks, as a big early part was a canoe leg on fairly exposed waters. There has always been a 'Plan B' option listed in the routebook, it's likely this will be enacted, and equally likely some racers will be relieved about that. Until then, they have another night undercover, indoors at the Timiskaming First Nation community and recreation centre.
