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Local Favourites Team Kathmandu are Ready

Michael Jacques / 11.11.2005

West Coast brothers Duncan and Hamish Hamilton have been waiting for a year for this Monday to arrive. Twelve months ago their adventure racing team, Team Kathmandu, were the pride of the Coast when they won the prestigious Southern Traverse. But on Monday they line up again for something far bigger – the opportunity to win a world title in their own backyard.

Duncan Hamilton, the leader of local favourites Team Kathmandu, is looking forward to the race. “Geoff Huntalways puts together a tough race, which suits us,� he says.

Team Kathmandu illustrated what a difference local knowledge can make when they dominated last years Southern Traverse, which was staged in the mountains behind Greymouth and Hokitika. For the World Championship event Hunt has taken the race further north to the Buller region, which Duncan Hamilton says is less mountainous but has challenges all its own.

“Because there are no true high mountains I think a lot of competitors, especially the international teams, will underestimate the terrain,� says Hamilton. “But the terrain up there is very steep and very thick bush and scrub, and tracks that aren’t that good. It has a lot of hidden terrain and hidden bluffs; you can look at the map and decide that is the best way, but when you get there it leads you nowhere.�

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