Independent Networks Adrenalin Rush
A Late Charge
Rob / 28.05.2003
The road to Kinloch Hourn was the course for the final bike ride for the leaders on Wednesday morning. It’s a beautiful road and The North Face and OK Aventure Renault Sport took a leisurely highland tour along it, but Thomas Cook turned it into a race track and had no time for the view. During the night time trek over the Five Sisters of Kintail they’d moved into second place, passing the French team and stopped for a short sleep at the second Red Bull transition station at Kinloch Hourn. It was shorter than expected. Just as they laid down (in the back of a lorry) OK Aventure arrived, so they got up again and set off in front of them! They were 80 minutes behind The North Face, but by the time they reached the bike drop at the end of the 35km ride that lead was cut to just 40 minutes. While the teams either side of them continued to just make progress around the course, Thomas Cook found an extra gear or two. They shot along the narrow, rolling, single track road at time trial speed, moving almost as fast as it would be safe to drive. It was an amazing performance coming so late in the race and has put them within reach of the leaders, who will be unaware of what’s happening behind them.
With a final 16km trek and then the monster 70km kayaking stage remaining The North Face still have a good lead, especially as they are strong paddlers, but many factors can still affect the final result. Sleep strategy will be vital as the main challenge on the kayaking could be staying awake and the top 3 teams won’t be able to stop, not if they want to win.
It will take them 9 to 10 hours of non-stop paddling to reach the finish line and water safety officer Pete Dew said, “It’s going to hurt them. That’s a long time in a boat even if you’re starting fresh. The worry is if both fall asleep they could capsize. The 600m portage is brutal too.� Some teams have prepared wheels for that, but they’ll have to carry them all the way. Others have sails fitted and with the prevailing wind blowing Northwards up the Great Glen that could be a significant advantage.
What strategies the leading 3 teams have, and which of the them will fight the SleepMonsters of Loch Ness best, we will find out on the final stages, but Thomas Cook’s ride this morning is a sign of their spirit and determination to reach the finish line first.See All Event Posts
