Guadarun 2008
Day 2: Grand Terre
Bryan Sharp / 07.04.2008
Today was scheduled to be the longest leg of the event, following a coastal path around the east face of the island. We started from camp through the town of Le Moule with a safety car leading the way, a gentle sea breeze and an overcast sky made conditions more hospitable for the Anglais/Ecosse partners in crime. Twenty minutes passed quite quickly before the car peeled away and the competitors were left with only basic course markers and a route map to find their way. Behind the beach lay a giant strip of rough, jagged volcanic stone that was to be our playground as the course began to display it's technical side. A quick check of the map revealed a devilish ascent wasn't far away, a punishing slog up 75 metres was almost a break from the last hour of fancy footwork. Steep climbs, undulating cliff tops with spectacular views and steep descents followed each other in rapid succession, in the back of your mind you knew the worst hill was behind you but that doesn't make the current one any easier.
The central part of the race was flat farm track surrounded by endless fields of sugar cane plantation. The lack of visual references meant that straying off the route was all too simple, several competitors found themselves one marker short and the frustration of wasted effort soon began to build. It's in difficult times like these that the "Delboy Trotter Diploma in French" that myself and Andy passed with flying colours proved to be woefully inadequate in communicating not only our concerns but also our opinions with our French counterparts.
The islands spectacular volcanic geology, exotic vegetation and crashing waves revealed themselves as we eventually found our way out of the agricultural maze and back to the coast. A strategically placed water station was like an oasis, especially as the 3 central days were meant to be entirely self-sufficient, no time penalties just ice cold water. See All Event Posts
