---

Day 3: A stage heavy on navigation and technical skills rather than speed and power

Jacqueline Windh / 28.02.2010

It’s been a fast race, and the competition has been tough in all categories. But in the Elite Mixed category, the competition has been toughest of all. Teams are pushing hard for the valuable top prize - hard cash along with entrance and airfares paid for the World Championship in Spain this October. And there are some very strong and closely matched teams in this category - going into Day 3, little over half an hour separated the top 5 mixed teams. It was anybody’s race. This became even more apparent as the day evolved, and rankings from the previous two days flipped completely around.

In the Elite Men’s category, however, team Municipio Vila Unión seemed to have it nailed, with a 33 minute lead over second-place Ansilta, and the three team members looking strong and confident.

It was another fairly short and fast stage (“explosive� is the word they use here in Argentina): 30 km bike, followed by about 15 km of navigational trekking/running with a ropes challenge including an 80 m Tyrolean traverse and a 60 m rappel. It would be hard for any team to gain more than a couple of minutes via brute strength alone. But technical skills would make all the difference - in the second half of the bike section, on the ropes, and especially in the navigation.

See All Stories On This Race