Fulda Challenge

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Railcar Blues

Nick Lees & Caroline Pick / 05.02.2004

Whitehorse – Alaska A powerful mountain bike ride by Royal Marine Colour Sergeant Gary Bullen failed to prevent the British team slipping in the overall standings in the Fulda Tyres Arctic Challenge.

Gary finished fourth in the mountain bike race, which started from the tiny Alaskan port of Skagway and took competitors up a snow and ice-covered1,000-metre mountain pass, but the team lost out later in driving and railroad hand-car stages.

Stamina and determination proved to be key factors on the ride. Although the going was extremely tough, considering the conditions, Gary was pleased with his performance. He explained: \"It didn\'t stop snowing and there were some very fit athletes in the nine teams we were competing against.\"

Gary\'s team-mate, Gill Watson finished cold but happy after a fifth place in the women\'s competition. \"It was lonely out there,\" she said. \"I didn\'t see anyone for miles. I just had to draw on my fighting spirit to drive me on.\"

The team slipped two places in the overnight standings (to seventh) after finishing fourth in the mountain bike and eighth in a car slalom race (on a frozen lake at Carcross), then seventh in a hand-powered railcar race at Whitehorse. \"We had mechanical trouble,\" said Gary Bullen. \"They [the organisers] let us go again. But we had further trouble and that put an end to our efforts.\"

Britain\'s Hi-Q team, Barry Nutley, 59, and Clare Dawson surprised themselves with a third-place in the car slalom and seventh in the railcar race. However, both competitors struggled to complete the mountain bike race. Barry Nutley said: \"We were going strongly on the bikes but we just weren\'t quick enough.\" The Hi-Q team remains in ninth position.

The race for the lead is hotting up. A strong mountain bike ride by Italy\'s Orietia Calliari drew cheers from spectators who turned out to see her finish. Calliara, 34, who works in a tourist office near Milan, was the first woman to reach the finish line on the U.S.-Canada border and was third overall in the 28-kilometre race.See All Event Posts