---

Les Arcs Chase the Last Dark Zone

Rob Howard / 14.09.2005

The 24 hour sleep rule was introduced for safety, and to make the competition more about racing than enduring a lack of sleep, but it’s also had the opposite effect, making sleep one of the main issues of the race. In this race it’s combined with numerous dark zones and the results of the tactical choices the leading teams have made are now coming into effect. There is also one critical dark zone still to come.

During Tuesday night/Wednesday morning the lead teams did have a choice of where to stop and they made different decisions. Les Arcs Quechua chose to set off on the kayak stage on Lake Geneva in the dark, crossing from France into Switzerland and arriving at the finish at Villneuve at 5.32 a.m where they took their remaining compulsory sleep.

This should have been 3 hours 52 minutes, but they deliberately raced along an untimed ride through town to the kayak start to gain an extra 20 minute time penalty, so they could have a little more sleep! They didn’t benefit though as they got up far too early and had to wait around to start. They also had a further 5 minute time delay as news came through the military were training in the area and part of the course was closed! After some quick negotiations the situation was resolved and they were allowed to go. The 3 men in the team were in good spirits, but Florence Marguet was quiet and looking exhausted.

Nike ACG Balance Bar and Salomon Suisse stopped at the kayak put-in deciding to sleep there and to take to the water in daylight. They left together at 4.48 am after the US team had taken all their remaining sleep. But they made a disastrous mistake in the night, missing a checkpoint on the shore and paddling past it. When Salomon Suisse arrived at the checkpoint they were told Nike ACG/Balance Bar had not passed through, and a little later they saw them paddling back towards them.

See All Stories On This Race