X-adventure Raid Series
Campsite Tales & Overnight Positions
Rob / 11.05.2003
To call the overnight resting place a campsite is a little misleading as that implies teams will be staying there for some time, but the truth is it’s more of an extended transition. The leaders may have come in close to midnight and had the chance of a good sleep before the 5.30am restart, but even they didn’t use the showers or facilities – their support crew fed them quickly and they were asleep in no time at all. Saab Salomon were sleeping contentedly, after a good final running stage and hearing that they would be credited with 15 minutes for the problems Helen Jackson had at the abseil. This put them back in the lead, almost 9 minutes up on nearest challengers VSD Eider.
They may have had 4 hours sleep but the cruellest thing about the overnight stop is that the later teams in, who will be the most exhausted, get the least chance to rest. Through the few hours of darkness Scotland has at this time of year and into dawn of the next day teams came down off the Monadliath mountains and into camp. Thomas Cook were happy with their night navigation, taking 4 hours on the last stage. They’d followed compass bearings much of time and overtaken several other teams, commenting that the visiting teams were making the mistake of trying to follow watercourses, many of which are not on the map. They were 25th overnight and are having a good tussle with another UK team, ‘Demon Skates’ who finished the day in 23rd.
Thomas Cook arrived around dawn in good spirit and were asleep just before 4 am, so may have had a whole hours sleep! It’s more than their support crew got though. There are still other task to do and kit to prepare for the morning, and they have to be up a bit earlier to rouse the team. They managed half an hours sleep.
Rubicon High5 are doing the race without support crews, the 4th team member has to move the vehicle and get ready for the next stage, and this is a big disadvantage. Doing it this way is a tough introduction the X-adventure Raid and they were feeling the effects. They arrived late, having missed out the ropes stage and crashed out in their vehicle, but getting everything together again in the morning took too long. They arrived at the start after the latest available start time and were not allowed to set off. They’ll be given the longest time plus and hour as a penalty so are unlikely to improve on their 47th place.
Also at the back of the field were the Scottish team, Hoppers, in 44th position. Lapin Kulta, with Anna McCormack, were 33rd, while Gary Robertson and Noel Hanna with Team Freedom were one place ahead of them. The two Irish racers would normally expect to be further up the field but the Americans they are racing with are struggling with fast moving format of the race.See All Event Posts
