Untamed New England
Speedy Danes and Wandering Ecuadorians
Rob Howard/News Releases / 14.08.2010
However, the first cut-off caught out around half the field who are now on short course option #1 and there have been 6 withdrawals, including experienced teams like Calleva and Berlin Bike. One of the race favourites Team Kinetic (who were early leaders) are also shown as ‘unofficial’, though it is not clear why. *
The short coursed teams failed to make the ropes course by the 7.30pm cut-off. On arrival they missed out the ropes stage and cut the trekking stage short, making their way directly to the hub at Bosebuck Camp.
The race began on Thursday with 41 teams paddling away from the 2nd Connecticut Lake boat landing and the early part of the course included extensive paddling and portaging, plus two stages of work on conservation projects and a stop to stretch their legs with some relay orienteering. This was followed by a long mountain biking stage and a tough trek over Mount Magalloway, Stub Hill and Rosebuck mountain. This included a lot of bushwhacking, tricky navigation and included the half way ropes section at Garfield Falls.
Looking back at the competition for the lead it is was the Danes of Skandia/Key Experience who were first off the paddling stages into CP10, at which point they had a 30 minute lead. The leaders completed most of the following bike stage in the dark and towards the end route choice shook up standings.
First to finish at CP14 and transition to trekking were Running Free and Team Granite, with just one minute between them! However, by the time they had crossed Mount Magalloway to reach the ropes section the Danes were back in the lead. At the ropes they lead from Team Granite by just 8 minutes, and there was only 1 hour thirteen minutes separating the top five, which is nothing in a race like this.
Away from the ropes stage the trekking continued across Stub Hill and Bosebuck Mountain to reach CP24 and Bosebuck Camp (sponsored by Primus), which is one of the major hubs of the race and teams will have access to camp stoves here and a chance to warm up. (Night time temperatures are down to 50 degrees and although the weather has been fine there is rain forecast for the end of the race.)
One team particularly glad to get into camp will be the Ecuadorian team who accidentally wandered near to the US/Canadian border and were held by customs officials until they could figure out what they were doing there! (They didn’t have passports with them.) Fortunately race staff managed to get them released back onto the course.
[*Francis Lambert was ill and unable to eat and left the course at CP16, taken back to the resort by his family.]
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