Raid in France - Alps to Sea 2009
Leaders Racing Close Together
Anne-Marie Dunhill / 01.06.2009
After dropping off the gear in pouring rain for the mountain biking section the assistants withdrew to a mountain parking lot four kilometers away. The organization ferried the bags from the trekking section to us as any contact with the team was forbidden. The marshals closely inspected the gear we left for our teams, ensuring that the mandatory list was adhered to. Several teams got a time penalty when the jury did a surprise inspection and found items such as batteries, sunglasses and food tucked away in clever places!
The first teams were expected at 03:00 and Cateye Outdoor Experience arrived at 03:12 followed by Planet Tonique at 03:32. The first three teams chose to sleep for two to three hours at this transition but the following five chose to push on. A member from Issy Adventure received four stitches on his shin from one of the five doctors present at this race following a close encounter with a rock but he was able to continue with no difficulty.
Helene Compignie of \'Energie Cote Sud\' dropped out of the race at Check Point 3 and the remaining three team members are continuing the adventure unclassified.
At this moment they are off for 88km of mountain biking in the beautiful Ecrins National Parc. The scenery is enhanced by the snowfall at the higher altitudes last night. A trek and a canoe section are to follow.
On the home front, I opened my crate of food last night to make dinner only to discover that a can of mackerel had opened all over our provisions. The evening meant for sleep was devoted to rinsing in the pouring rain. The joys of assistance continued with the delivery of the trek bag this morning: sopping wet kit to sort out and hang up to dry and the clothes pins came in handy for our delicate little noses!
My co-assistant Gareth picked up a glove which upon closer inspection housed a pair of the team captains soaked undies: yesterdays mystery solved!
The British team \'Hey Lo\' are very much in the race (with a rickety replacement rental van) and are in good spirits.
Cateye Outdoor Experience,Planet Tonique and Quechua are racing hard and fast, an interesting strategic choice in this particular expedition style race.
Assistants are now off to paddle the canoes to their teams ...See All Event Posts
