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Out of the Desert

Rob Howard / 16.12.2008

As expected the leading teams came out of the desert to arrive at camp 3 in the early hours of the morning. What was not expected was that the top 5 teams came in together. They came into camp around 3.40 in the morning led by Wilsa Helly Hansen and Sport 2000 Vibram Outdry, with Nike, Team NZ and Desert Islands within a minute. But minutes, even seconds will be crucial in this race. Just how crucial was revealed when the overall standings were calculated, showing the two kiwi teams in first and second with a minute between them, and the two French teams in 3rd and 4th with just two seconds between them! ‘;

The teams had not always travelled together, Desert Islands had banked more rest earlier on, but as the leaders came together toward the end of the stage they seemed to settle for staying together, or more precisely for following ace navigator Chris Forne of Nike! Team NZ were even waiting for Nike at times and Richard Ussher said, “The guy is amazing – its like he has a GPS in his head, and he breaks the trail too.� Ussher said his gaiters worked perfectly. “There was no sand in my shoes at all,� he said, “my socks were even clean when I took the gaiters off.� His team mate Jay Henry had not been so lucky and was suffering from blisters, while Jared Kohlar was looking exhausted, feeling the effects of the amazing pace these teams are setting.

Several of the leaders just collapsed on the sand by the camp fire when they finished, and there was little point in putting up tents when the carpeted communal tents were nearby with comfy cushions to crash out on. As soon as the mess tent opened for breakfast it was full and with following teams coming in the first bus had left for the campsite at Al Alain by 08.30. The race is moving at a much faster pace then expected and in a way the desert stage was like a series of time trails with the leaders racing hard from one CP to the next, then resting and waiting to see who would go off first for the next stage.

The next team in after the leading pack were Lundhags Adventure of Sweden and Bjorn Rydvall was walking around outside the mess tent with a space blanket around him.. It was cold in the morning and by dawn the fog had risen again. (The teams didn’t have much to put on either as their gear is not here, but at the next camp.) Lundhags had been navigated by another top kiwi racer Aaron Prince, despite Rydvall being recognised as a good navigator himself. “Aaron is so good it would silly for me to take the map,� he said.

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