Land Rover G4 Challenge
A Bridge Too Far
15.05.2006
His assessment was right on the money as far as excitement went. The competitors had to complete a bridge swing en-mass, before jumaring (climbing) back up the same ropes. Next up was a short mountain bike section, followed by a run, kayak and final scramble up a rocky ridge to the finish.
If any of the competitors were still asleep by the time the Stage Final kicked off, the spurt of adrenaline they received when they stepped backwards into the void would’ve certainly woken them up. This was their opportunity to score points as individuals rather than teams, and with only one Stage to go, their performances here this morning could prove absolutely critical.
‘That jump was just crazy,’ said France’s Jean-Baptiste Calais after the competition. ‘I love rope work and climbing, but just jumping into the unknown was wild. I did it because it was a competition, but I’d never have done it out of choice.’ His performance belied his misgivings about the jump, however, as he powered to yet another second place in the Stage Final.
Another potent performance came from the UK's Brian Reynolds, who managed to bounce back from extreme fatigue after partnering Belgium’s Kris Janssens during the week, to finish third in the Stage Final. ‘I was so tired yesterday. Kris is so much stronger and faster than me, so he pushed me to the point of collapse,’ he said. ‘I think much of my success in this competition was thanks to good preparation, and just getting on with it.’ Brian started his climb up the rope long before he stopped swinging, giving him an edge over many of the others.
SleepMonsters
