The Raid World Championship 2005
The Rain Comes Again But Teams Keep Going
Rob Howard / 11.09.2005
For the teams the race is becoming a survival epic and most are now on the trek to Assistance Point 8, high in the mountains where there is occasional thunder and lightning, and thick cloud and mist to complicate navigation. The teams are tired, especially Adidas Natventure, who have still not slept. Their plan was to complete the ride to Assistance Point 9 in daylight, and they are now on that stage and look like they will succeed. They can then sleep through the night, and on such an awful night their strategy could prove to be a very good one.
The organisers must now make a decision on whether the lead teams progress onto the glacier early tomorrow morning (3am), but when that decision will be made is not yet clear. They are encouraging teams to stop at the Assistance points in this bad weather, but if the leaders want to press on from Assistant Point 9 they may have to decide tonight, and in such awful weather the cancellation of the glacier trek is likely.
And while the leaders approach the glacier trek, the back markers on the course are just beginning the canoe stage at Bourg St. Maurice. This closed at 18.00 and the last teams arrived just in time to pass through and set off. Salomon Asia Pacific were last to arrive and were desperately gathering their gear as the rains hammered on the roof of the checkpoint. But at least they could prepare indoors. Philippe Guillo needed help from his team mates to get ready, but Natasha Barton was lively, fetching gear, pumping up the boat and declaring, “We’ll finish this course for sure.�
SleepMonsters
