Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race 2011
From Remote to Remota
Will Gray / 09.02.2011
This year’s route saw race organisers Nomadas Outdoor Services steer an early path past the spectacular sights of Torres del Paine National Park with the aim of showing it off at its best. Somehow, the cards fell right, and they got a peach of a day.
For the start of this uniquely intense eco-endurance adventure in such a beautiful and remote part of the world, the ideal start requires good weather, high spirits and plenty of drama. And this day had it all.
The crowds that gathered at the Hotel Las Torres in the heart of Torres del Paine National Park this morning already seem a world away. Back then, the sun beat down on the racers, who were forced to strip down to their lowest clothing levels to cope with temperatures rising up to 20-degrees. British team adidasTERREX admitted they were a little unprepared for such pleasant weather – and even had to borrow sun cream.
A herd of flag-carrying Caballeros set the race off in an impressive celebration but as the teams hit the bumpy dirt tracks on their bikes they soon forgot the festivities and they faced up to the ferocious wind that Patagonia often offers up for its visitors.
That wind kindly removed all the clouds from the mountains, making them totally clear by the end of the day with even a full reveal of the rarely seen 3,050m Paine Grande, the summit of which race director Stjepan Pavicic admitted he had never seen.
But the relentless wind also sent bikes flying – literally – as a dust and rock storm sent the Dancing Pandas team diving into the ditch for cover and also saw many other racers knocked to the floor in the same area. In the early stages, GearJunkie.com pedaled the fastest, and gained a decent lead, only for the kayak section to be delayed due to the high winds.
After a brief respite for the teams on the beach beside the Hotel Lago Grey, it was off down the Rio Grey then, after a short portage section, at which the top five teams were covered by just seven minutes, a beautiful paddle down the Rio Serrano.
This is my third time to the park, and never have I seen it looking so spectacular.
Following the tams on our zodiak boat felt very much like the easy ride as we zipped beside the hard-paddling racers and we slinked in and out of the sunshine to get the best positions for the film crew and photographers to shoot their stunning shots of the racers, backed in every angle by the now sparklingly clear Cuernos and Torres del Paine.
At the end of the kayak, adidasTERREX arrived first at PC2 and after a trademark fast transition – which seemed to be at least 15 minutes quicker than their closest rivals GearJunkie.com – they set off before the other kayaks had arrived in a bid to hide the direction of their route from view.
Whether the plan worked will only be revealed when the teams pop out the other side of the trek, probably in the morning – if the terrain is not too challenging.
For us, we now have to make our way all the way around to the other side – and that required us to join what will be our home from home for the next few days, a smart catamaran named Orca, which usually runs a regular trade of tourists out of Puerto Natales for the Agunsa tourism company.
From the remote PC2, the quick ride then delivered us to our evenings rest place – the aptly named Remota hotel in Puerto Natales. And sitting here in the smart lobby now, I feel a little guilty.
After watching the racers head into the forests as the sun set on a fantastic first day, our evening worked out very differently to theirs, with a luxurious boat ride and a night in one of Puerto Natales’ top five-star hotels…where despite arriving extremely late we were treated to a fantastic meal of local cuisine.
You can’t want more than that from the opening day.
Bring on tomorrow ...
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