Raid Gauloises
What do you think of the course?
Chris/Raid Gauloises / 27.04.2002
Once the dust had settled, and before the captains had time to head off to spill the beans to their team members, we cornered a few and popped the all important question ...
Emmanuel Dubreuil, Arcelor: “A lot of work in store. The computers were cooking well into the early hours of the morning. We’re a little worried about the length of the race as we were counting on 700kms… We don’t feel extra comfortable about the equipment changeovers either. Otherwise, there’s an enormous amount of trekking which is not so good for me as I prefer cycling. We also thought there would be more nautical stages but the final stage in Halong Bay should be marvellous. Iif some of the teams were still closely grouped at that stage it would make for some pretty spectacular finishes…�
Laurence Maurin and Marc Batiot, Raymond James International: “For teams like ourselves who are usually around the second half of the ranking, the weather conditions will be all important. If it stays fair, finishing in 11 days is possible. If it rains or is windy, however, the course could deteriorate and become more difficult, forcing us to increase our pace. The course is varied and the activities are well distributed along it, unlike past occasions. It might reduce the possibilities of boredom. Going from trekking to the bikes might alleviate any foot injuries we sustain for example. We won’t have to walk for 4 or 5 days with blisters on our feet in that case. The final kayaking stage should make the finish quite exciting even though it’s not necessarily the easiest section. Once you get going you can’t stop, no matter how weak you feel for fear of being caught out by the timing�.
Yves Masson, VSD-Eider: “The first thing I noticed about this course was that the organisers have kept their promise. This will be a real expedition race and not some vague nature-triathlon sliced up with tons of stops. We will have to be clever when it comes to equipment management if we’re not to lose time. This morning’s briefing was particularly long which indicates the complexity of the course and the persistent uncertainties. A lot of questions will only be answered in the field. I only hope the race doesn’t turn into a permanent “protest� over logistics. There are fairly large cross-orienteering stages and the GPS won’t be able to do everything.�
Pascal Bahaud, Intersport It’s going to be a long one. We worked on the maps until 2 in the morning and we only got halfway… The main worry concerns the heat and sleep. The variations in activity will make it fun and the “slogging� treks are offset by easier sections using ropes or sampans. There is an appreciable element of discovery in it all. Logistically, it looks complex and heavy but we hope everything will go well overall. The assistance could easily forget something and I hope the organisation will keep an eye on things to ensure equality among the teams. The cross-orienteering sections will be decisive, especially as the maps are not really accurate. The GPS will also play an important role, not just in verification but also for navigating. But will it work everywhere, everytime?�
Air France: Our main concern is the equipment. We can’t afford to make any mistakes with the bags. There are also a number of places where we have to assemble and dismantle the bikes. As our strength is in trekking, we’ve decided to bet everything on the long trek and go for broke then.�
Copyright www.raidgauloises.com.
SleepMonsters
