Mild Seven Outdoor Quest

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Seagate win Stage 5… iRule scoop the Mild Seven Outdoor Quest title

Lisa de Speville / 02.11.2004

With 4 successive Stage wins and a 17-minute lead iRule were marked to win Mild Seven Outdoor Quest 2004. But, even though the overall outcome was a near certainty – bar injury – Outdoor Quest’s staged format ensured that the competition was as challenging on this final day as much as it was on the first.

The 06h30 start saw the teams on inline skates for the first 14km section inside the expansive Nexus resort. Unsurprisingly, the Swiss of Team Switzerland were out front. Compact, efficient and elegant inline skaters, Switzerland were minutes ahead of the rest by half-way. They skate in a style comparable to that of Olympic speed skaters, crouched behind each other, one arm swinging out to the side and their strides matched and co-ordinated.

This lead gave Switzerland an advantage going into the 25km mountain biking section. They would need every minute with iRule, Nike ACG-Balance Bar, Seagate and Buff chasing from behind. Nike ACG-Balance Bar lost considerable time over this section, getting on to their bikes some time after rivals Seagate, iRule, Nokia and Buff. Strong cyclists, Nike ACG-Balance Bar had been concerned about the teams ahead of them – most of them weaker on the bike – as overtaking on the single track section would be near impossible and it was likely that they could have lost even more time on iRule.

The next section was an 11km sea kayak from the mainland to an island just off Kota Kinabalu. We were all waiting for the teams to arrive, binoculars glued to our faces. I’d taken a bet that iRule and Seagate would be upfront considering that they were in better condition on the water than any other team. Buff’s Emma Roca was competing with a broken arm. Nike ACG-Balance Bar’s George Christison was racing with a broken arm. Nokia’s Teijo Laasanen had severely injured his shoulder in a mountain bike crash yesterday ...See All Event Posts