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Caught by the Dark Zone

Rob / 21.11.2002

On the 4th night of Southern Traverse Team Lythgoe rode down to the bank of the Wairau River for the start of the final paddling stage. They were lying in second place, but it was already past the 9pm deadline and the dark zone was in force so they had to stop and camp for the night, knowing all the teams behind them would catch up and restart with them at 6am in the morning. All the advantage that had been so hard won in the previous days has been lost.

The leaders Seagate.com were the only team who made it onto the water and they too had to stop at 9pm, but are far enough downstream to guarantee their win. Even so it will be an uncomfortable night as temperatures have been cold and they will be bivouacking for the first time in the race when they are at their most tired. At every stop until now they’ve slept in Transition Areas, and last night at a mountain hut.

That was on the trekking stage across the Richmond Range, which proved even tougher than expected. Crossing the more difficult terrain at night, including dense bush and exposed ridges the leaders took nearly 24 hours to cover the 48km stage and as they splashed across a ford into TA8 all Kathy Lynch would say was, “We’ve been for some walk!�

It’s a ‘walk’ many teams have been on all day, Land Rover among them, and they will have to cross the most difficult part of the trek in the night, slowing them even further and making it more difficult for them to avoid the dark zone tomorrow night.

Team Captain Nathan Faa’vae was more forthright in his comments at TA8 as he looked ahead towards the end of the race. “Our only aim is to get onto the water tonight so we keep some of our advantage, but that’s not certain. It depends how long this final mountain bike stage takes. A lot of people are fairly pissed off that the timings for the race have been so far out and if it goes to form this final ‘6 hour’ ride might take 8. That would reduce the race to a sprint kayak, making all the previous 4 days pointless.� Fortunately for Seagate.com, and for the race organisers, they did have time to start the paddle and the team which has dominated the race will have the clear win they deserve.

Those behind them will be racing for second place, and Lythgoe’s hired kayaks are nothing like as fast as the racing kayaks the local teams have. The sprint paddle for the line in the morning will be an uneven contest with the odds stacked against the British team.

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