XPD Australia

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Dawn Arrives on the Tully

Geoff Hunt (AR World Series Director) / 20.05.2010

The wettest place in Australia (7.4 meters a year) per year did not live up to it's reputation and the day dawned bright and clear.

Teams started arriving at the Tully put-in at about 01.43 in the morning. The actual TA was 9 kms back down the road and the officials had some discussion whether teams were allowed to come up to the put-in point in the night or had to stay in the TA (CP5) at the end of the bike ride from the coast.

Those first teams arriving confirmed the decision to allow the teams to come up to the put-in. All night teams wearing the headlamps arrived at the launching area and by 05.30 teams were well scattered around - under rafts and space blankets - sleeping on their packs and minimum equipment on the tar seal car park.

At about 06.10 the first of the four water safety briefings for the teams started. Craig introduced the operations manager of the day and he gave an amusing 'Australian' accented briefing to all the seated 12 teams in the first wave. Once this was finished life jackets, paddles and helmets were distributed and the rafts were flown on wire rope down to the rivers edge while the teams made their way down a short stairway.

Orion Adventure and Blackheart.com.au (the great rivals in this race) are first away at 06.46 followed every five minutes by another two teams.

The first twelve teams are Orion Adventure (NZ), Blackheart.com.au (Aust), City Bike Depot (Aust), McCain Adventure Addicts (SA),.www alpineepic.co.nz (NZ), Merrell/Akali (CAN / France), SCAR (Aust), Osprey Packs / nitelights.co.nz (NZ), securify.co.nz (NZ), Mawson (Aust), Nga Rakau (NZ),Team 4 Cancer (Aust).

Of note in this list is Merrell/Akali in 6th place after leaving Dunk Island in 11th place due to the mishap with the boat (see previous story)

We encountered Orion Adventure on the drive up into the Tully last night and asked about the bike ride. Marcel Hagener, vocal as always, described it as serene – cane fields and grass and nobody around.See All Event Posts