Expedition Africa
Expedition Africa Review - Part 2
German Cuevas/AdvFeel Communication (Edited by Rob Howard) / 12.06.2015
We arrived at T4 with time to allow us to do some shopping and relax a bit as the teams had to make a long bike ride. We saw teams from the middle and back of the pack at T3, so we did not feel it was a bad idea to relax in the Tum’s Water World complex. Located on a peninsula it is almost entirely surrounded by the river and sometimes we could see many hippos and crocodiles from the viewpoint above the river. At night a group of photographers drove us to hunt for the top teams, who have people following them throughout the race, taking pictures, filming and updating social networks. It is costly for teams, but happens at most races, and it is those teams who get more support so it must be worthwhile.
After a long 15 km of ups and downs on the fearsome red dust roads we reached the place the organizer Stephan told us would be a good place to watch the teams. There were 2 reporters from Estonia, 3 photographers who followed different teams and me.
It wasn’t long before 4 lights appeared in the distance and the Merrell team came up to us with some difficulty, the climbing being the high of the upcoming long descent at full speed to T4. We knew team Peak Performance were not far behind and the photographer who was following the team and I decided to wait for them, mainly because I got into his car and did not feel like walking much lower.
It was spectacular and amazing to see teams going down those roads. Each time they rode over the bumps their forearms tensed and the group spread out sometimes then regrouped when they needed a short stop to confirm the right direction. At times the stronger riders offered a bungee to their teammates to better withstand the ups, who did not hesitate to accept, showing real teamwork
Arrival at T4 was relaxed as teams knew that they could not go onto the next section before 6.30am as it is very dangerous to be on the river at night as it is when animals are most.
Good coffee or hot tea to warm up and a good burger in the restaurant was like a return to reality after so many hours in the world of adventure racing. Teams endured both extremes of hot daytime temperatures reaching nearly 30 Cº and cold nights, continuous scratches, insects, cold water, little water to quench their thirst, and a thousand and one extreme conditions. So the hot shower after the burger was bliss!
The tents had been ready for hours and the first 6 teams to arrive could rest in relative comfort within them, for many it was better than a 5 star hotel. The morning arrived and we began to see movement in T4. Teams were already prepared with all the necessary equipment for kayak section and some did not hesitate to step on the kayaks from other teams to position themselves in the best possible place. Everything is ready for the start, 6 teams, 3,2,1, GO! ...
The kayaks woke up a group of birds that were on both sides of the river and large groups of white birds hovered for a few seconds over competitors. The river was wide and had a lot of vegetation, so that most teams cut through under some tree branches.
Now teams approached the start of section 9. The inflatable kayaks were waiting and the first obstacle was a hydro electric dam, which was not very high and the teams had to descend with the kayaks to some sand that had accumulated next to the foot of the dam. After the dam the water became more wild, plunging between huge rocks, through a huge channel that did not allow for any way to avoid the falls and rapids. Some were thrown against the rocks and some fell into the water, and there were a thousand more adventures but plenty of smiles at the end of the stage.
It was not far now to the portage to T7, a disused pumping station where the water ran through rocks and fine sand, the vegetation, wild cows and some pumpkins that appeared along the way.
Next the teams began a trek through nearby mountains, taking different routes that made us wonder if the teams were lost but we could not be sure. Merrell and the Estonian team led the race with determination and had an intense struggle.
The end of this section was at the same point as T4, renamed now as T7. This meant an interesting mix of teams from the front and middle of the race were in residence, while far behind the back markers were still around T3. For the press this was ideal as we could see more teams in one place.
Merrell arrived late at night to T7 as the first team, followed by the Estonian team about 30 minutes later. Both transitioned on the lawn and went quickly onto their bikes to set off for T8.
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