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Into New Territory

Rob Howard / 04.08.2005

The return to the stage 3/4 transition at Stool End Farm early on Sunday morning was make or break time. Early morning is a time when energy can be low at the best of times, and there was no blazing sunrise to lift the spirits, though the overnight showers had moved away and it did promise to be a fine day. Pairs came in after a long, and for most a disappointing night, and they were fighting sleeplessness and fatigue, and facing the prospect of two long stages still to go.

There were some withdrawals here, from extreme fatigue, lack of coordination and sickness; symptoms one racer had been put to bed in a tent with during the night. There were some long ‘team discussions’ and as most arrived back at transition near the end of it’s opening times, the realisation that it might only be possible to complete the course by taking the shortest route via the special activities on the final two stages.

There was a noticeable difference between the stronger teams and the rest. The North Face were more purposeful, and Tom Gibbs had his patented ‘Gear Box Music System’ going. The two Rubbermaid gear boxes they were using carried stickers from Eco-Challenges and other expedition races and the team carried the experience from those races and many previous transitions. Those who were preparing for the Wilderness ARC as their first expedition race were gaining some valuable experience, and probably wondering how they will cope with 4 or 5 such mornings!

The first to come and go were Cas Van Aardenne and Mark Humphrey, the only ones who had a strategy of getting through transition early and trying to collect more points on the following mountain biking stage. A good tactic in theory, but in practice they found the choice to climb to high checkpoints in forest near Hardknott Pass a painful one. “The bridleway on the map didn’t exist or was just unrideable boulders,� said Van Aardenne, “and we just zig-zagged upwards. It was hours of hike-a-biking!�

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