Mountain -X Race
White Water
Rob Howard / 05.07.2007
The day began with the canoeing stage, and although this was now a grade 3 run the organisers decided the stage could go ahead, and not to use the alternative of rafting.
Race leaders Saab Salomon were the first team away from the international water sports centre on the edge of Bourg St. Maurice, where the teams had set up camp the previous evening.
They were starting a day where the expectation of many of their rivals was that they would struggle to maintain their lead. The British team knew there was relatively little anyone could do on the river to make big gains, so their strategy was to avoid any major mistakes, keep a good line, and paddle hard for every second they could gain.
Naturally they wanted to keep ahead of Koxx Quechua Trail, the second ranked team, who set off after them, and this they managed to do, arriving at the finish 8km downstream with their lead intact. The French team had pressed hard and nearly caught them, but briefly lost control as their boat filled with water, and despite Saab Salomon making a stop at race flag just short of the true finish line, they arrived at the finish first.
Their time wasn’t the quickest, that was set by TSL Outdoor – La Clusaz (31.55), but it was good enough to keep them in with a chance of a good score on the day. Mixed team Nike put in a strong paddle, as did both the female teams.
In the swirling and treacherous waters the red inflatables used by Saga d’Aventures proved stable, but filled with water rapidly, and some teams had to stop and bail out. “We didn’t take anything to bail with,� said Eric Sullivan, of Salomon Crested Butte, “which was silly, and we had to stop twice. I noticed the Saab Sweden team had a pump, which was smart, but later on I saw it float past us. I should have grabbed it really!�
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