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The Expeditionary Teams

Rob Howard / 02.11.2011

Last night, when the leading teams arrived at CP12, at Leven Canyon, the race was on. The leaders arrived soon after dark and hustled through transition as quickly as they could, Seagate took just 30 minutes to break down and box their bikes and repack for one of the toughest stages of the race. They would have been planning on taking some 15 hours, maybe less, to get through the 60km trek which includes crossing Black Bluff, the Reynolds Falls abseil and the descent of the Vale River. Provided they coped with the difficult navigation on the featureless plateau last night they would hit the waterfall abseil in daylight today (Thurs).

Roll the clock forward 12 hours to a cold dawn at Leven Canyon camp and there is a very different event taking place, this one much more expedition than race. Teams had arrived through the night, many sleeping for a couple of hours, or trying to in the cold and the noisy transition, where teams and trucks were regularly coming and going. By daylight the temperature was at its lowest and tents and sleeping bodies, bikes, packs and every kind of outdoor gear, were strewn all over place. In the enclosed picnic shelter, where a fire was lit, some sleepers were laid out on the concrete rather than erect their tent.

Those who were moving about were doing so slowly, with no sense of urgency, mostly tired and half asleep. At one of the picnic tables Team No Roads Expeditions were having ‘breakfast’ and were alert and ready to go. They were tucking into Beef Terriyaki and wraps and enjoying it! They explained that they’d had a bad leak on their inflatable boat on the first stage and were last and almost hypothermic, so they’d had a rough start to the race. Matt Shields explained their strategy, “We slept here for a while and plan to camp tonight in the hills. It’s going to be cold but we want to rest up and then move onto the waterfall abseil in daylight and not feeling too tired.�

For all the teams towards the back of the race (and not all had arrived at CP12 by this morning) its already about pacing themselves and keeping their momentum so they can finish the course – racing really does not come into it. No Roads were taking about when the leaders arrived. “They were here at 7.30 last night, so they are 12 hours ahead of us after a day ... that is about right. They will want to finish in 5 days and we are aiming at 7 to 8. We are here for the full experience!� Part of that experience is the wildlife encounters and the team have already seen Roos, and Wallabies, Possum and a Quoll.

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