Keen Adventure Race, Great Ocean Road Australia
Kiwis Clinch Keen Great Ocean Road Adventure Race
Rapid Ascent / 17.03.2007
The final stage began in the 6am darkness with a rogaining leg near Aireys Inlet, followed by a tough mountain bike ride to Anglesea’s Coogorah Park for a short orienteering leg. On completion of the orienteering, teams then paddled down the river and into the Southern Ocean for a final paddle along the surf coast to the finish line at Torquay.Adventuresportnz.com raced well through the rogaining, establishing a 13-minute lead over Anaconda. However, they lost eight minutes after they left their control card at transition and had to return to collect it.
The bike leg to Anglesea was set up ‘rally’ style, with teams having to follow detailed notes in order to find each of the 10 checkpoints. Mid-way through this stage, Adventuresportnz.com and Anaconda were within sight of each other, however Ussher elected to take a route he considered ‘more direct, but hillier’, and the teams separated. Soon after, Adventuresportnz.com took a wrong turn. “It was tough going, and we got a bit lost,\" said Ussher, “I panicked a bit and was concerned Anaconda might win.\"
As they rushed into the Coorgorah Park transition, the flustered Kiwis questioned how far they had fallen behind Anaconda. When told Anaconda were yet to arrive, their relief was palpable. The direct, hillier route had all but won them the Keen Adventure Race.
The ride leg had taken the race leaders almost five hours, but it took Anaconda forty minutes longer. Showing why they are world champions, Ussher and Walker flew around the orienteering course and collected the required eight checkpoints before Anaconda had arrived on their bikes.
Meanwhile, NSW Stingers (Rob Preston & Richard Mountstephens) and the wonderfully consistent Mountain Designs (Gary Sutherland & Brett Stevens) arrived at the orienteering leg ahead of Anaconda after solid rides. Both teams also made good time around the orienteering course, leaving on their boats 20 minutes ahead of Anaconda, who had trouble completing all the orienteering checkpoints.
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