Ecomotion/Pro
The Mood Has Shifted
Louise Foulkes (ARWS) / 10.08.2013
The casual mood of yesterday has shifted to one where the tension coming from teams is palpable. Teams were given the course race book last night at the end of the official welcoming ceremony. They have all of the information they need for the race except for their maps. These will be given to teams as they cross the finish line of the prologue this afternoon.
The welcome brief was true to Ecomotion/Pro style. There was a huge stage, video, colorful back drops and festive swirling lights. The 2013 Ecomotion/Pro logo was visible everywhere. Ecomotion change their logo each year to represent the terrain the race is being held in. This year’s layout sees the Ecomotion/Pro name surrounded by a colourful burst of tropical leaves. These include coconut, payaya, cocoa and palm varieties.
Local dignitaries took turns speaking both welcoming teams and educating them about the local area. Teams will be passing through Atlantic Forest which is important because it contains some of the highest rates of species diversity and endemism (species found nowhere else on Earth) in the World. In addition to this, teams will be moving through rich agricultural farming land. Cocoa is the main crop and has been grown in the south of Bahia since the late 17th century. Cocoa plays an important role in Brazil and Bahia remains the biggest Brazilian cocoa-producing state. The briefing finished at 11pm and teams were given their race books as they left.
It was a restless night’s sleep for many. Team captains pored over the information provided and tried to work out their strategy. This was important as teams are required to pack and hand in their logistic boxes using only this information. Maps will be handed out after boxes are already loaded into trucks.
When asked about the course, the general consensus was that it is a very busy looking race. There are 15 separate stages that include diverse disciplines such as caving, vertical ropes, mountain biking, swimming, white water, river and sea kayaking.
It looks like a lot of strategy will be required to complete the course successfully. There are rivers with very strong tidal flows as well as biking legs along beaches that will be impassable at high tide.
There are two standout “make or break” legs this year and both are trekking. The first of these is very early in the race. It is a 65km coasteering leg that finishes with a 3.4km swim. Teams have been advised they must wear helmets for the first 30km which indicates this won’t be just beach walking. This trek finishes with a 3.4km swim on the “Enchanted Lake”.
Teams are anxious as they will face this swim on the first night. They are allowed to take their choice of floatation devices but they must carry them to the swim all the way from the start. There is a lot of discussion as to whether they will carry extra equipment such as fins for 65km or go without. The second trek is midway through the course. It is a 79km inland trek with a lot of navigation.
Another area that looks like it will be a key factor for teams success is the ability to cope with racing in the wet. There are a lot of river crossings and there will be regular tropical rain showers. This combined with the humidity means teams will be wet most of the time.
Bike mechanical failures are also expected to play a large part in the race. The teams have been warned that the rain will turn some of the mountain bike legs into slippery muddy rides. The sticky mud is bound to cause a lot of bike problems.
The final main concern for teams is that they will have limited access to their bike and transition boxes. Backpacks will be large at the start line as teams won’t see their boxes until after stage 6, 18 to 30 hours into the race.
Teams don’t seem too concerned about their results in the prologue. The first paddle, where they get the advantage of choosing boats, is only 4km long and even the top teams are expecting to rest for more than 8 hours.
The full course will be released to the public at about 16.00 local time on the Ecomotion/Pro Live web site.
SleepMonsters
