The Raid World Championship 2006
Ten more to the Finish
Raid Release / 15.09.2006
ADIDAS NATVENTURE (GER) finished 4th, considerably higher in the ranking than last year’s 9th place. “I knew we were 30 minutes up on SPYDER going into the last sea kayaking section,� confessed Daniel KELLER “But I didn’t want anyone thinking it was all over, so I kept it to myself.�
Rivals SPYDER (USA), who had struggled hard throughout the race to compensate for an error early in the proceedings, came in close behind: “We made a big navigational mistake on the trek between the 2 bike sections on day 5. Even though it was short, we lost 90 minutes there and could have done with more water sections to make up the lost time,� reflected a contented yet wistful John Jacoby. “Coming in here, LES ARCS-QUECHUA (FRA) tried to catch us but, after a spirited fight back, they seemed to give up.�
Sure enough, last year’s winners followed them in only 3 minutes later. “We shook hands with the Americans and wished each other good luck. But once we hit the water it was a real scrap,� joked Rudy GOUY.
“Despite being edged out of a top 5 spot, we had a great race,� concluded the ace navigator. SPORT 2000 LAFUMA (FRA), displaying a solid team spirit by carrying the team’s female member for a good part of the final trek, literally limping into the finish followed 13 minutes later by a sprightly SALOMON CRESTED BUTTE (USA) who, though disappointed about not being in the top 5, were nevertheless full of praise for the course and their support crew, new to the team.
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