China\'s Wulong Mountain Quest 2007
Team Sole's Paul Romero reports on Day 1 direct from the course
Paul Romero / Team Sole / 25.08.2007
24 August, 2007
The gloves came off today. After having a 'zero day' yesterday, a 1 hour parade race, that was rather intense in itself... today was a 9 hour torturous event during which every single racer paid a big price.
We write this in brief, as we are working into the late evening doing major bike repairs. Our problems are minimal compared to many with major failures and broken bikes.
A 5km run was followed by a wild 20km downriver kayak. Then it was on to a 65 km mountain bike section that will be talked about for a long time. The all night of rain on the course, created a clay/mud fest that had everyone shoulder the bikes quite often. Wheels could not rotate, and derailleur and hangers were flying off like it was 4th of July.
The heat became rather oppressive, and we begged for water at every possible option.
The tour would take us deep into the heart of the most remote villages and accessed only by trail. The unbelievable reception by these mountain people was something we're unable to describe. While our heart rate and breathing was through the ceiling, we could not help but notice the sincere best wishes and gestures made by these strangers.
We battled all day in the top 5, and after managing two tire failures and a blown derailleur, we did a wild 300' rappel into the finish line. 5th place would be our result, up from 9th of yesterday.
It's off to rest and gather more food and other items for the big day 2.
1. Team Nike USA
2. Adventure NZ (New Zealand)
3. Lafuma (France)
4. NZ Cavaliers (New Zealand)
5. Team SOLE- Lingying (US/Canada)
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