Yak Attack
Over the Thorung La Pass
Phil Evans (Extreme World Challenges) / 18.03.2011
<b>Stage 9 - Thorong Phedi to Muktinath 17km - 4540m to 5416m to 3900m.</b>To quote South African rider John Ferguson "Today is the crunch" and it certainly was, with the quickest time for the stage being a little under 3 hours and the slowest close to 10!
It was -7 when the riders congregated at the foot of the Thorong La pass at 4.30am, but as the altitude increased the temperature dropped and it was recorded at -15C close to the summit. Leaving in the dark, the only way of telling how far the field was soon split was by the head torch lights guiding each participant up the lung burning initial ascent, as each took on their own technique for "shouldering the bike" for the next 2-5 hours.
Once High camp (at approx 5000m) was reached lying snow and ice became a problem, with a number of rides slipping on a 45 degree slope traverse, sending them off the trail and scrambling to get a hold on the seemingly never ending drop. The sun rose just before 6am, offering a little warmth but the windchill froze fingers, faces and noses as a steady stream of riders passed over the summit at 5416m, pausing only to take a photo or to reassemble their bikes, dismantled earlier for ease of carrying.
Compact snow made for a sketchy but fun first initial descent off the summit, but as the gradient increased the snow turned to ice and it was a very treacherous mid-section that very few riders escaped from without some kind of fall.
From the teahouses at the foot of the pass, the snow dissipated and it was a fast and fun rock strewn final descent into Muktinath, offering warmth and relative comfort after this hardest of stages.
Rajeev Rai (John McGillivray) once again proved his worth at altitude reaching Muktinath in an incredible 2 hours and 52 minutes, with Mangal Krishna Lama the next to arrive in 3 hours and 19 minutes. Padam Sabenhang, finishing in 3rd place, also clawed some time back off Ajay Pandit Chhetri (Genesis/Torq), who struggled with today’s stage, finishing in 6th place in a little over 4 hours.
Australia once again took 1st and 2nd in the international stakes, with Paul Bolla and Mark Waller chasing each other all the way down. John Ferguson, after being passed by the flying Scotsman John Mcgillivray on the descent joked in a typical South African fashion; "Man if I could learn those descending skills, I would be unbeatable!"
Andre Deplechin, slowly recovering from a stomach complaint which has hampered his progress bought up the rear, enduring the snow, ice and sun for an energy sapping 9 hours and 58 minutes.
Tomorrows final stage drops over 2500m in altitude finishing at the site of the healing hot springs in Tatopani.See All Event Posts
