Ecomotion/Pro 2008 Adventure Racing World Championship
Orion Maintain Lead and Nike Falter
Rob Howard / 05.11.2008
For much of the day the race was looking like it might go down to the wire, with defending champions Team Nike chasing down new leaders OrionHealth.com but come nightfall their chase petered out in the sand dunes of Ilha do Amor (Love Island).Last night the two teams left PC17 at Vicosa 1 hour 40 minutes apart, setting out to ride 68km on sand roads and rough tarmac, with a crossing of two plantations included. It was another ride where progress was slow though the sand and the heat was overpowering. After a section of road full of pot-holes Orion arrived at PC19 at 01.13, with Nike following at 02.11, reducing the lead by 42 minutes on the ride and raising their hopes of catching the leaders.
PC19 was in the village square of Campanario where the familiar bright yellow CP umbrella was set up and while the village slept the race leaders passed through. The transition was a kilometre away from the river, so they had to walk down the road carrying all the paddling gear to get to the beach beside the river and start the 60km paddling stage.
They’d been told the river would be shallow and overgrown, and so it proved with an estimated 40% of the river too shallow to paddle. Orion eventually arrived at the next transition at 15.15 (taking 14 hours) and made a fast transition, leaving at 15.27. But Nike were faster at both the stage and the transition, arriving at 16.08 and leaving at 16.18 to begin the final bike ride. Now the lead was down to just 51 minutes and with Nike renowned as strong riders it seemed they could yet hang on to their world championship title with a strong finish to the race.
However, behind them Team Sole were using that essential AR skill – initiative. They had reports on how bad the river was and decided to do the padding stage on dry land! They towed the heavy plastic boats across country for all but the last 3km of the route! Ian Edmond and Paul Romero had a bamboo pole across their chests and hauled like galley slaves, which Karen Lundgren and Nora Audra used harnesses and ropes. “We nearly died so many times today,� said Romero, “it was so hot. We recorded around 42C and stopped at every farm house and bar, took water baths and drank and drank as much as we could. One family even made us omlettes and gave Karen a new pair of socks as hers had worn out. It was so hot all our food melted and we just kept hauling away.� Incredibly they were by far the quickest on the ‘paddling’ stage, gaining on the leading two teams, and not giving up on catching them.See All Event Posts
