Arctic Team Challenge
Intense Rivalry and Strong Camaraderie
Søren Strunge (Photo Erwin Reinthaler) / 21.07.2004
Pia Nielsen from Team Tasiilaq described the mountain bike relay as generally fast but still physically challenging and very bumpy, spiced up with a few tough climbs. Peak Performance attacked hard trying to regain some of their lost time, but everyone was right behind them.
When the mountain bike relay was a done deal the teams were faced with a vital orienteering challenge on the upcoming trekking section. They either had the choice of staying low in stony terrain or they could choose to climb a hard ascent followed by a nice, long and fast decent on the Mittivakkai glacier down to checkpoint number 3. The two teams duelling for third position, Team Inu:IT A/S and Peak Performance, chose separate ways, and this turned out to be critical with Peak
Performance losing out on the high route.
They got caught on a rock wall just above the Mittivakki glacier where they expected to have a fast descent. and were forced into a slow treacherous descent down the rocks – losing precious time; it took 45 minutes to move only 200 meters! Now Peak Performance are 1 hour and 34 minutes behind Team Inu:IT A/S.
Team Tscherning, or to the Greenland news bulletins Team T.S.C. Herning (Herning is a town in Denmark), won their third consecutive stage victory – impressive! Theyincreased the gap over Saab Salomon to 31 minutes, but still not enough to feel home free. Tomorrow is the gruelling expedition race. Claus Gravgaard, Team Tscherning, expects that the last 1/6 of the approximately 25 hours long expedition race will be crucial. He adds, Saab Salomon is sturdy when the heat is on and the numbers of hours is accumulating – so nothing is settled yet!
The stage finished in the abandoned hunting settlement of Ikkatteq, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and a field of slowly drifting icebergs.
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