Southern Traverse
West Coast Locals Stay Out in Front
Nicole Fairweather (Southern Traverse) / 15.11.2004
Race director Geoff Hunt made the call to change the course at first light this morning after rivers became swollen following heavy overnight rain.
The conditions, which included rain, thunder and sometimes snow, have taken their toll and three teams – Team OAGear.com and Team Flight, both from USA along with the Kiwi/Danish entry Team Rudy Project/Bivouac Outdoors have all withdrawn. Team members are all reported to be fit and well after suffering problems with the extremely cold and wet overnight weather on the Bald and Kelly Ranges.
Bad weather has continued most of the day with some breaks finally appearing later this afternoon.
Team Kathmandu, which includes brothers Duncan and Hamish Hamilton, along with Coast to Coast winner George Christison and teacher Kate Callaghan, is moving fast and at the last checkpoint in the Lower Paparoa Range was reported to be in good spirits. This is despite Christison sporting a broken wrist sustained in a race in Borneo just days ago and Callaghan complaining of a chest infection.
But the locals are being pushed hard by a tight bunch of teams, moving in from behind.
The highly rated GoLite Timberland team from the USA, which includes classy young orienteer and athlete Aaron Prince, is leading the chase pack and at the last checkpoint (CP 13) was just an hour behind the West Coasters.
Mikael Andersson’s Team Lundhags Adventure was always expected to be a threat, and is in hot pursuit along with Team Sierra International, last year’s winner Team Bridgedale Socks and Team Outward Bound.
Just minutes separate these five teams and the tight formation signals some exciting competition as they race to complete the Paparoas section in the early hours of tomorrow morning. The following leg is a major 89km mountain bike ride starting in the Craigburn Forest and finishing at Gloria Vale.
Some teams who returned to the first transition stage from the Bald Range this morning rather than heading on through the course are now unranked – they are Teams House of Travel, MacPac R&R Sport, Waitaki and Microsoft 1/E.
Eight other teams face penalties after failing to report into a check point on the Kelly Range.
\"The penalties will probably be served after the teams have completed the mountain sections,\" says Hunt.
Teams face more cold weather tonight but the rain is expected to be lighter and less frequent. Tomorrow’s forecast is for cloudy periods with a few showers but rain could come in again by evening.
[The 2004 Southern Traverse is sponsored by the West Coast Development Trust which is also sponsoring the 2005 Adventure Racing World Championships on the West Coast.]
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