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Saab Salomon Out

Chris Archer / 13.09.2006

SAAB SALOMON went crashing out of the race at assistance point 10, after a blistering bike ride. Team captain Phil Davies was visibly gutted but his knee had finally jerked him to a halt. They are the second \"big gun\" on the race to get spiked, after ERTIPS yesterday.

The big shock of the day is the abandon of SAAB SALOMON (GBR) owing to a wholly uncharacteristic injury to their captain’s primary mode of transport. Phil Davies had begun to feel a niggling pain in his knee on Saturday night, during the first long trek of the race. Eventually, after labouring for three days, struggling through the caneoing section yesterday evening and completing a rapid MTB section earlier today, the soccer ball halfway up his leg just “locked up�.

“It’s like a Rolls Royce getting a puncture,� observed one AR pundit, “it just doesn’t happen.� There were consolation beers and commiserations all round but the disappointment is palpable: “You know how it is. We feel awful but we’re putting on our party face,� said a very philosophical Phil.

The other loss to the race today was Spanish stalwarts COSTA DAURADA-LA PINEDA PLATJA (ESP), who just couldn’t match the race pace and were pulled from the course at CP23, at the end of the canoeing leg. [7 of the 26 starters have now withdrawn.]

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