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To The Finish

David Ogden / 24.09.2003

Day 6

The support team set off early in order to reach transition area 7 at Maido (2,200M). The route was twisting with many hairpins, but we eventually arrived at the car park around 0700, unloaded and checked the bikes, then prepared water and snacks.

We had time before the team arrived to climb to the viewpoint and look down and across the cirque Mafate some 1,000M below. The team meanwhile were climbed out of the cirque and made their way along a narrow ridge to arrive at 0848.

Some 20 minutes was spent in transition, canyon suits were offloaded and maps explained, water was taken on board and they were off, heading to the 800M take off level for Paragliding. The van was hastily loaded, and we set off in pursuit. Wayne’s motor racing skills were brought into play, with hazard lights on, tyres screeching and horn blaring along the narrow single track road. We managed to pass the team, but needed to take a longer route to reach transition 8.

The launch point for paragliding was above a sugar cane field. Team 15, the local Reunion team, still racing in the extreme class, were in Transition and set off by road to the canyon. We reconnoitred the sugar cane which had a couple of tracks leading in the right direction, so that when our team arrived at 10:46, we suggested they take to the fields and join the road further down where the next CP was under a bridge.

The team were in excellent spirits and set off at a run, and as we drove down the road, we spotted them crossing the cane and when the road zigzagged, they burst out on one side before diving off the road on the other side. They were flying, arriving at the head of the canyon CP22 in 25 minutes, having over taken team 15. The canyon of Colimacoms was dry, but offered some dozen abseils of 30-50M and ended on the beach.

The team arrived aware another team was closing, so quickly donned wetsuits and fins, dropped their rucksacks and headed for the water with only the 1.7K to go. Forty minutes or so later they emerged from the sea to be greeted by Gerard Fusil, having completed one of the toughest races of the year. They finished the Discovery course in five days, seven hours and 20 minutes, but as an ‘incomplete’ team.

The team waited an hour in order to greet the Belgium team, with whom they had spent much of the race. Gerard Fusil had arranged tandem paragliders for the Belgians, two of whom got engaged during the race!

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