Lythgoes Adrenalin Rush

More Village News

Rob / 28.05.2002

Throughout the day the Red Bull Village at PC5 has been a hive of activity, with teams coming and going regularly, but it’s not always the same team going out as coming in!

Another combined team has been formed, this time called UK/USA and it’s a combination of 3 of Team Outward Bound, Andy Scaife, Derek Ziade and Martin Barratt, and the remaining 3 team members of NY911. The 4th member, captain Chris Ballou has already continued with another new team, The Carnivores – so all 4 of NY911 are now back on the course, but not together! The new team are riding to PC6 along the road (which is easier than following the course), where they will be bussed to PC11 to continue. Having 6 in the new team means they can use 3 kayaks on the final stage.

Other teams have come in fairly regularly. The all women’s team Snow and Rock are moving up the field again after losing a lot of time on ‘the bike push’, as it’s now popularly known. Sam Dring has a heavy bike (and isn’t very big) and she really struggled through the bog. There was some relief though. �We saw a cottage and decided to knock and ask for a cup of tea, and the owner welcomed in� said Jue Panter. “It was quite cosy.� Once onto the mountains they gained a lot of time, with better navigation, and a lot of places as other teams dropped out or were passed.

Golite Dutch Adventure were one of the teams they passed. “We were quite lost after the climbing,� said Bas D’Herripon. “For 5 hours in fact! It’s not been good for our spirits.� They still looked in good shape though and pressed on to try and catch Snow and Rock again on the ride to PC6. The 2 Irish teams, A Team NI and Surfmountain, are still on course and had a word of encouragement for each other as they passed at the village .

A couple of withdrawn teams have managed to get transport back to base at Enniskillen but others are camped out for the duration as race transport is stretched to the limit. Ajax had the foresight to pack a huge 8 person tunnel tent which they are snugly settled into, but Kinetic Energy have more lightweight homes in this poor weather, and there isn’t even a pub anywhere nearby! Val Chappa can’t enjoy the food they do have either as she chipped a tooth in a bike fall.

The Canadian and US teams, Running Free and OBX, the second Dutch team Reklet Group, and Swart Scania are still ranked and on the course so PC5 will remain busy into the evening. Swart Scania are the last of the ranked teams and will have to make an 11pm cut-off if they are to continue.