Explore Sweden Expedition Adventure Race 2009 - The 1000k Monster
The Monster shows off it´s Adventures
Mia Renz / 05.07.2009
Landverk was the first TA where the teams could activate the sleepingcards. The sleepingcard gives the team 8 hours of mandatory sleep. It can be used at 6 different TA/GZ and these are TA6, GZ2, TA8b, TA9, GZ3 and TA11.
Team Lundhags and Team FJS reached TA6 and went directly to bed. The decision to choose to sleep at TA6 was an option the Race Director expected many teams to take. And of course our Race Director Mikael Lindnord was right!
After 4 hours of sleep Lundhags left Landverk for the river board and river kayak section. Chasing just 30 minutes behind were FJS.
The cold water in Indalsälven for sure woke the leading team Lundhags up. They did the riverboard/riverkayaking section in 1h 54 min, closely followed by FJS who were now exactly 1 hour behind the leaders.
The section between TA6 Landverk and TA7 Tångböle were river boarding/river kayaking where two members were in river kayaks and 2 on river boards.
At the same time as our leading teams enjoyed the rapids, the last teams met another beautifil day on the mountaineering section. Team Issy Aventure-Whitspirit reached G5 with a few bruises and blisters but were in a very good spirits.
In the transition in Ã…re Lundhags had a lead of about one hour and twenty minutes. Lundhags have held good speed, but they also took a chance.
\"We gambled a little and had no sleep in the first two days,\" said Assistant Björn Rydvall.
Lundhags have also used half of their mandatory sleeping time, four out of the eight hours.
They were satisfied with their efforts so far in the competition but also realize that half of the race still remains.
FJS is just behind Lundhags, but are working hard to close in. �Yes, we want to close in�, said lagkaptenen Daniel Hansson just before he grabbed the canoe to carry it down to the water to paddle down to Ristafallet.
They are quite pleased to have a team to hunt, but want to be a little closer, not least given that they do not know how the other team have used their sleeping cards.
Ã…re, Swedens most famous ski resort, which this day also host the Swedish national championship in downhill, were a little surprised to find a TA in the middle of the town square and it woke the curiosity of many who were there. The spectators closely followed the teams in transition between inlines, trekking and downhill and even when they came back to switch to the canoe followed them down through the village. In brilliant sunshine was the Monster an interesting and unusual feature of the square!
The local team Statkraft, with great support from it’s home town of Sollefteå (which we will all will visit on Monday and Tuesday) was in the top 5 but lost ground.
The team did well up to a the long mountaineering stage. “I have suffered a little as I have a hip muscle which is a bit out of order and makes it difficult to keep pace, \"said Arvid and continued: “But I can live with it.� When the team lost speed they also lost ground. They fell from the fourth, fifth place down to eighth. Then even the mood went down.
�We were a little pessimistic when it was tough and we dropped from fourth to eighth, where we are now,\" said Arvid just back from Åreskutan and its mountains.
Arvid says that after the long mountain stage, which took over 20 hours to complete, they rested a bit and even slept for a while. It was good and both strength and spirit returned.
Now, they are going after the team in front and trying to regain their high placing.
�We are going to chase now,\" said Arvid in a cloud of migdes as he changed for the upcoming paddling.
The Acron White Water section was a nice paddle with some good rapids, first one class 2, second 700 meters class 1-2 and the third 100 meters class 2. The teams were allowed to carry the canoes around the rapids. The only complusory part was at the very end of the section... You would not like to be in it but traversing with the bikes over the rapids looked great!!
Top teams Lundhags and FJS were the only two teams that made it through the river rafting from Vålån before the dark zone from 23:00-03:00 at GZ4. The night will collect a number off teams at GZ 3 ready to go when the dark zone ends. There seem to be a lot of tactics going on calculating the times on the sleeping cards. We are looking forward to a close race in the early dawn.
And last but not least we are still waiting for the two back teams to complete the mountaineering section. Team Yoga Slackers left GZ5 around 02.00, they have now been on the mountain for 19.5h and still have a couple of hours to go.
SleepMonsters
