Expedition Africa

Who, What, Where?

Rob Howard / 10.05.2013

With the race entering its last night the organisation has been moving teams around towards the finish to get them back to the Orion Mont-aux-Source Hotel for tomorrow. Here is a round-up of who is where.

So far only 4 teams have finished the race, with no finishers since Raidlight came in at 14.09.  There is a group of teams still on the full course making their way through the final trek and they all appear to be showing on the race trackers. The two international teams SWECO and Omjakon have spent a long time on this trek and there was some concern about them, but this has abated as they have made their way to a lodge inside the national park.  There they can get food and shelter, and return to the finish via a marked track.  The other 7 teams still on the trek are all from South Africa, and at the front of these are Red Ants, who may yet manage to take 5^th.

Most of the teams are at T6 in the Sterkfontein Nature Reserve.  Some have completed the course to get there and others have cut the course short and ridden there. The rest have been transported from T5 and the hall is jam packed with sleeping and weary racers!  Luckily it is a big hall, and there are chalets to hire nearby.  Officially teams who have made it that far on the full course can still set off on the paddle until a midnight cut-off, the Race Directors still want to give them the chance to continue to the finish if they wish. 

All the teams at T6 will restart at 6.00am to ride back to the finish, allowing them to complete their race under their own power and get back in time to rest a little and sort their gear ahead of the prize giving and Sunday morning departure.

This just leaves 2 teams who are still out on the second trek on the way to T5 (the abseil was closed some time ago so they won’t be doing that). These are Issy Aventure and Here be Dragons and race staff are on hand to move them back to the finish once arrive at T5.