The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge
The 129km sea kayak section is cancelled due to strong winds
Anne-Marie Dunhill / 14.12.2010
A quick look at the local weather forecast two days ago indicated that winds were predicted today and they were spot on. In the early morning hours strong gusts of wind swept through the bivouac on the Al-Mirfa beach.
The 129km sea kayak section was scheduled to start at 06:30 this morning; an initial announcement indicated that the start of the section was delayed but at 07:00 the race organizers took the decision to cancel the section, giving racers an unexpected free day. They were told that they would be staying another night at the beach bivouac and transferred by bus tomorrow to Abu Dhabi were there will likely be a shorter sea kayak section starting from the Corniche.
This plan is contingent upon proper authorizations being obtained and whilst these are being procured race staff is scrambling to load 100 sea kayaks onto the trucks for transfer.
It is interesting to observe reactions when the unexpected happens. Although yesterdays desert section was incredibly demanding racers were eager to get out in the kayaks today. Indeed, this section figured highly in the race strategy of many teams in the middle of the pack who were counting on climbing in the ranking over teams that they knew to be weaker in this discipline.
Those who have been part of a team that has ever abandoned mid-race will be able to relate to the collective scene this morning at the bivouac when the announcement was made. There is a brief lapse of time when there is confusion and the inability to think about what to do next as they are “programmed� to push on and every minute and every second has been calculated up until this point to maximize efficiency.
After the initial surprise, some teams spoke about getting a cab to Dubai for burgers and beers while others rested in their tents. The U.S. team Yoga Slackers led a group yoga section and sore racers came out of the pretzel-like postures exclaiming that they felt much better.
For those European teams who had been training hard for this epic section the disappointment was palpable; as Philippe Chod of Issy Aventure said in French, “We’ve been freezing our ..... off training in winter for this!�. However the racers physical integrity has highest priority and the race director made a sensible decision at the right time, instead of allowing the section to start and needing to rescue teams in trouble out on the sea.
This is the first time in four editions of the race that a stage has been cancelled, although in a previous year a stage was delayed due to fog. With testosterone charged racers raring to go it was a level headed decision and those disgruntled mutterings will soon dissipate. The wind really is blowing hard here.
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