Appalachian Extreme Adventure Race 2005
Teams making their way on the bikes as night (and rain) begins to fall
Tracyn Thayer / 21.05.2005
As darkness falls, so does the rain and the temperature. Sitting around CP14/TA2 support crew members and race staff are donning various multitudes of layers of high-tech gear, making it look like all could survive a snowstorm, should one arrive. And, it wouldn\'t be too out of the question, as temperatures are expected into the 30s (F) tonight.The latest updates on the course report that the race has had it\'s first team drop out - Team AliceinWonderland.com had a member, Matt Karpiak who started the race pretty ill, have to succomb to the mountain bike course. He called TA2 on his Satellite phone to report that he and his partner, after having made it to CP4, had returned to TA1/CP2 (the paddling take-out), are doing OK, getting a pizza, and wanted to be picked up by their support person.
Other updates from checkpoint staff are that it\'s getting colder, teams are slowing a bit, and the conditions are getting wetter, as rain has begun to fall over the course. However, for some teams, none of these things hast seemed to slow them much.
Just in .... Teams Subaru USA (4-person co-ed) and Team The Bike Shop/The Bike Cafe (2-person OPEN) have just arrived at CP10. At CP10, the Balsams Ski Resort, they are to drop off their bikes and any biking gear, grab their rappelling gear, and trek up to the top of Table Rock. Once there, the teams will check in, put on all of their Rappelling Gear, get checkout out by the Ropes Gurus - Saranne and Anson, and be sent down a spectacular 200\' rappel (well, if it was daylight, it\'d be REALLY spectacular).
Not only will these teams enjoy the rappel, but they will have the advantage of arriving first, and avoiding any chance of being held up at the rappel by a bottleneck of teams. These two teams have strategized and raced seemingly perfectly so far. They are on pace to be expected at TA2 around midnight.See All Event Posts
