The Raid World Championship 2006
Chicoutimi Welcomes The Raid
08.09.2006
By midday, the thick morning mist that had gathered over the waters in “Shkoutimeou� (where the deep water ends), the confluence of the Saguenay and Chicoutimi Rivers, had dissipated. This customary prelude to fine weather not only brought out the sun but a drove of garishly garbed bodies making their way to the old port buildings that line the waterfront in Chicoutimi. As the teams filed through the various verification points, some were bemoaning the absence of equipment, adrift in the intangible world of airport baggage handling, but all exchanged formative ideas concerning course layout.
Raid rookies REVO (LIT) were missing 2 bikes, though they seemed far more concerned with the quantity of biking, around 600km, in the race: “We are strong on the water but could find all the biking a bit tough,� admitted Josh CROSBY, one of 2 Americans in the team.
Another American, the mercurial Michael TOBIN a core member of the NIKE stable and an MTB monster, ironically invoked the fact that most of it was downhill. “We scored some pretty good kayaks though and they will help us against crack boating teams like ERTIPS (FRA) and WILSA SPORT/HELLY HANSEN (FRA),� he added.
However, Roland Lebeau, just one of the latter team’s powerful paddlers wasn’t so sure about the clear-cut advantage that Kevlar kayaks bring: “They are fine on smooth water,� he confided, “but if it gets choppy, they can be quite unstable and not particularly fast.� Only time and the changeable weather that this region is known for will tell ...
SleepMonsters
