X-adventure Raid Series
Spanish X-adventrue - Piece of Cake
Marc Laithwaite / 09.11.2002
Tim, Steve and Marc sat huddled in the front of the van with the heater on full power. Despite the smell of stale sweat caused by drying clothes, no-one was willing to open the door. The mountain village of Sierra Nevada resembled an Arctic research centre, with snow and ice in abundance. “Bloody Hell� said Tim, “I’ve only brought me shorts and T-Shirt�. In support of Tim, this was not what I had expected when told that the final of the Salomon X-Adventure series would take place in Southern Spain.Our final X-Adventure of the year had begun 3 days earlier when Jim, Steve and Tim had flown out in advance to book into a building site. They quickly re-located prior to the arrival of the remaining elite members the following morning. Security was tight at the airport as ‘The Bardsley’ arrived in the company of Marc Laithwaite and Helen ‘Wacko Jacko’ Jackson’. We were met by Tim and ushered through a rear entrance to avoid waiting crowds.
Our new hotel was cheaper and less noisy, which seemed a better alternative. Jim was happy because cakes were sold downstairs and Helen was happy because there were metal bins to knock over at 4.30 am. The latter was the cause of much abuse but it was irrelevant as we didn’t understand the language too well.
Pre-race day consisted of the usual kit checks and preparations. Tim agreed to massage Ben’s legs but had to cut the treatment short after several hours due to extreme fatigue.
Race Morning started with an in-line skate, followed by a short run and canoe, all before dawn. Lots of teams completed the skating together and rushed to be allocated a start time for the running leg. Jim tried in vain to fight through the crowd until marc, fuelled by a large Spanish omelette, released a vapour that would have parted the dead sea. Jim grasped the opportunity amongst the chaos and we were away.
The run followed an old aqua-duct and Jim, missing his footing, fell off a stone wall, straining his wrist. He performed admirably during the proceeding canoe section although his injury caused a few concerns. It was only at the next transition when he was sure that he could still hold a piece of cake, that his fears subsided.
The next section consisted of a monstrous cycle ride to the mountain top village of Sierra Nevada, which incorporated a 5,500 foot climb. The team demolished all of the competition, arriving with a nine minute lead. Steve and Marc rushed out of ‘Bob’s Ski Bar’ to greet them and an action packed transition took place. Sacks were prepared for the run, routes were compared and discussed, Tim set fire to his eyebrows, Jim has a slice of cake and everyone tried to stay warm.
The boys headed up into the mountains attempting to maintain their lead. The ground was icy and in places the snow was deep, making progress slow. A long descent lead into transition and the start of the next cycle stage. The ride consisted of a continuous, steady climb and we shortly reached the rope traverse. Not participating in this section, I discussed with Steve the likeness of Ben towards an ape as he shuffled across the wire structure.
See All Event Posts
