Bimbache Extrem - Castilla y Leon
Barrels and Bikes
Rob Howard / 02.10.2010
There is a far more purposeful buzz about the 4 Postes Hotel on the outskirts of Avila today as teams complete their preparations ahead of the opening parade and team briefings, which take place this evening.Almost all the teams have now registered, there are just a few local Spanish teams to come now. Most have also completed their ropes testing on some tall trees behind the hotel, where they had to jumar up 10 metres, a task which some didn’t find easy. A few even came back for more practise later, which may be a good idea as there are hints of some major ascents on the course.
Only one team failed to pass yesterday and that was the multinational Team Sport Bittl Alcatel-Lucent. British racer Emma der Gucht struggled with the ascent but has worked on a different jumaring method and will return today to try again. (If the team don’t pass they will have to miss some of the ropes sections and take a penalty.)
Of more concern for other teams are their bikes. Several teams are still waiting for theirs to arrive, having been lost in transit at the airport, including Nathan Peterson’s from Orion Health. Already teams are asking what is available locally and the small bike shop in Avila is a busy place and sorely overstretched. (Why can’t major races have a bike shop/mechanic on site and supplies of CO2 canisters on hand, given that teams can’t fly with them?) The shop is doubly busy as teams are worrying about possible punctures. Most have been out riding on local trails and one reported 8 thorn punctures on one short ride!
The remaining food shopping and gear organisation needs to be completed today and the local Carrefour will be busy, while around the hotel this morning every passing competitor seemed to be carrying a barrel on their shoulders. These are the team kit ‘boxes’ and were issued from a stock pile alongside the hotel this morning, four to each team, so there are over 200 to be packed and moved around.
As they were issued each was sprayed with a team number and had a coloured sticker attached with the team name and bike/kayak/trek/ropes on it. (Teams can also have a separate skates bag.) There were a few smaller barrels and Team Orion were unlucky enough to get two of these, only realising this when they compared them to those given to Team Gerber/Silva.See All Event Posts
