adidas TERREX Swift
Stage 2; Down the River Lune
Rob Howard / 02.06.2012
Once teams left the transition area at the end of Stage one they had a short portage across the fields to the put in point, but the marshals told them they could continue to carry along the bank to avoid the next set of shallows if they wanted to. Team Mountain Hardwear were first to arrive and as they were having problems keeping the portage trolley wheels fixed on they waded into the shallows, only to see adidas TERREX run past them on the shore!
The race sponsors team have new lightweight canoes and plenty of experience portaging at international races, and were running with their canoes and having no difficulties ... which could not be said for most of the teams behind them! It looked like few teams had practiced the portage, and many were having problems with the wheels slipping off and ended up carrying the canoes. As they had 3 portages ahead, one of them 2km long, they would need to try and organise themselves better further down the river.
With water levels low there were occasional shallows to contend with, and there was one small rapid at Loyn Bridge which forced the canoes into the bank and gave a few teams trouble, with 4 of them getting wet. They included both the visiting international teams, the French team Averne Outdoor, and Moxie Racers from Ireland. Tri-adventure and Wolfskins were the other two teams to tip over, but all recovered well enough.
Last through at this stage were the Rockhoppers, who were already an hour behind the leaders at this early stage. (Later on in the race the leaders will have options to visit a series of optional checkpoints and teams taking the short course can skip these and take time penalties, so the race will pull back together as teams accomplish as much as they can.)
Teams were enjoying the river on a fine sunny day, and it was a unique opportunity as there is no access agreement for recreational canoeing on this section of the river, the race had negotiated permission specially for this event. The first and last portages were around dangerous weirs and the long one began at Crook o’Lune, where teams had to carry the canoes across a narrow footbridge then follow the Lune Cycleway downstream to Halton.
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