Eco Motion Brazil 2005
Buff Nike ACG Victorious in the Wet
Susan McKenzie / 05.10.2005
Crying and shivering and shaking all at once, Emma Roca stands at the finish line, soaked in champagne and coated in dirt, and patiently answering first one, then another, then another and then another journalist’s questions.
“It was a really tough race, very cold,� she says.
It was Shane Sigle’s first time racing with the Spanish powerhouse.
“It was awesome!� says Sigle, who learned enough Spanish on the race to be able to conduct interviews in that language. “You pick it up pretty quick when you hear it all the time.�
“He was great,� says Benjamin Midena. “He was so calm and even-keeled the whole time. I have a bit of a Latin temperament, so I might say something, but he was always so good about it.�
Victory wasn’t assured for the team until the final rappel, a stunning descent alongside a 130-metre waterfall.
“We were really worried at the rafting section, when we were nearly caught,� Midena continues. “We had maybe five minutes.�
The victory qualifies the team for the AR World Championship in New Zealand next month (for which they were already qualified.) More importantly, as winners of one of the AR World Series qualifiying events, they receive a free entry into the 2006 ARWC, which will be hosted by Helena Lind and Mikael Nordstrom\'s Explore Sweden race in August of next year.
The weather over the past few days was cold, but not too unbearable for this team, which trains in the Alps and has raced in colder, wetter conditions.
“Scotland was much worse than this,� Midena notes. “This was not so cold.�
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