Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge
Teams Wheel Away from the Desert
Chris Archer / 13.12.2007
This morning, the brand new bikes specially acquired by the organisation were removed from the trucks and distributed among the teams, shortly before the start of Section D. Then came a melee of nuts and bolts as the athletes customised these “stock steeds� into something more in keeping with their athletic prerequisites. Off came the pedals and on went the spd’s, some fixed their map-holders and others even chose to take along their own set of spare wheels.
With a mass start from Hamim beneath a blazing sun, it was clear the frenetic pace set by NIKE (USA) was designed to leave current race leaders EUROSPORT NZ (NZL) in the dust but the ensuing head to head saw both teams pushing hard, despite the New Zealanders suffering a puncture.
A number of sandy, uphill stretches marked a course that took the teams along a parallel with the Saudi Arabian border. So deep was it at times that the riders were forced to get off and push their bikes. “I feel sorry for the heavy guys today,� pronounced a smiling Sandrine MONIER, the willowy powerhouse of DAUPHINE-COMPAGNIE DES ALPES (FRA), “you need to be light to get through this stuff without too much trouble,� she remarked.
On this dramatically abridged section, nobody was really thinking in terms of tactics or strategy. “We went off a fast as we could in an attempt to break the Kiwis,� said Mike Kloser, “but we had to much air in our tyres and they caught us.�
SleepMonsters
