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Podium Finishers

Rob Howard / 15.09.2005

Salomon Suisse crossed the line arm in arm to claim 2nd place, a great result for a team which has had a poor year so far by their high standards, and for the Swiss hosts at the finish. Still wearing their harnesses from the final abseil, they met up with the families and were congratulated by Les Arcs Quechua, who had remained on the finish line chatting.

For the Swiss team it was one of their best ever results, coming in a year where they finished 12th, 6th and 4th in the qualifiers, and following their disappointment last year when they had to retire from the first Raid World Champs in Argentina.

“We were not really confident� said Luc Beguin, “and expected to finish somewhere around 4th to 6th. We felt we were outsiders and decided it would not be a good plan for us to go with the leaders as the pace would be too fast, but we thought if we ran an intelligent race we might get lucky and get a higher place.�

“We had quite a lot of low points, as everyone does. Isabella’s leg injury was the biggest problem and she was in a lot of pain but is a very strong and determined character. It made us very slow downhill, but she was strong uphill. Then Alain had some stomach problems but with some massage he kept it under control and we carried his pack. But it was to our advantage to be in the Alps, we didn’t know the trails but we knew how to handle Alpine terrain and what to expect.�

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