Raid the North Extreme
On the road at CP12
Susan McKenzie / 21.08.2003
“She has been like this for a while,� says Cyril Jay-Rayon, his right hand on her backpack as they go down the logging road to CP12.
When they reach a downhill section, they break into a run. Sheer momentum keeps them going, and they jog into CP12.
A Checkpoint staff of three cheers them on as they come in. Two-year old Aidan Carter and his parents Travis and Karen have come from PEI to volunteer for this race. Naked from the waist down, Aidan claps his hands as the team comes in, yelling “Go Racers.�
Dirtworld.com’s members call Seattle, Washington home, but three-quarters of the team is originally from France. The official language of the team is English, but when fatigue sets in, that doesn’t always work.� The French will unwittingly lapse into their mother tongue, even when talking to the lone American, Ryan Van Gorder.
“Virginie is the worst for that,� says Van Gorder. “She doesn’t realise she’s talking to me in French. But I’ve picked up a lot of French, so I usually understand what she’s saying.�
Dirtworld.com sets off as the black thunderclouds roll in behind them, hopeful they can reach CP13 before the rain starts.
Calgary-based Wild Rose is only 250 metres from CP12 when the rain chucks down. When they arrive, they duck under a shelter, but with rain coming in from all sides only their heads are protected.
Karen Robertson sinks into a camp chair with a great sigh of relief. “Oh man, I want to bring this with me for the race,� she says as she adjusts her seat in her seat.
Her teammate Brent Clark grabs the other seat as Bart Jarmula pulls out the maps.
“This is my favourite part,� says Robertson. “Every time Bart pulls out a map or flips a page, we all crash out for a three-minute sleep. We love it when he checks the maps. I had the best sleep on the canoe yesterday, though. I fell sound asleep, the guys woke me up. I’d only been sleeping three minutes but it felt so much longer.�
Torrential rain notwithstanding, Wild Rose heads out to CP13. It may be a cold, wet ride, but at the end, they have heard, there is a restaurant and hot food.
SleepMonsters
