Mountain -X Race
Seconds Count on the Ropes
Rob Howard / 06.07.2007
Day 5 began with a trail run from the village of Le Feclaz, which was to be the base for the whole day of activities including rock climbing, via ferrata and caving. The convoy of team vans and vehicles arrived early in the morning, after a 90 minute drive from the camp at Bourg St. Maurice, and occupied the parking area in the centre of the small village. In contrast to last nights finish at Les Arcs, Feclaz is village of scattered traditional chalets and farmsteads, and made a good base for the support crews who would be waiting there much of the day.
There was ample space and numerous cafes to visit, and the weather was dry and much warmer. Wet clothing was soon spread out all around town and there was even the chance of some sunbathing while enjoying the views of the surrounding limestone escarpments that are so characteristic of the area.
Relaxation came later in the afternoon however, first came the trail run, when stiff legs had to be coaxed into action over a 13km course in Feclaz forest. This route was on good trails, with no steep ups and downs, and ‘only’ 170m of ascent, so it was not as extreme as earlier runs – not that anyone found it any easier!
This time Augusti Roc Amador got the better of Greg Vollet and ‘Espana 1’ took their first team win and the 200 points, beating Saab Salomon into second place. The British team had determined not to push to their maximum, keeping in mind the long final running/hiking stage starting at 5am tomorrow, and with the Spanish team beating them by almost 9 minutes that might have been a wise tactic. It would have taken a lot of additional effort to bridge that gap. So, they conceded 20 points to their rivals and their unbeaten trail running record.See All Event Posts
