As expected things are really getting "tight" and "tense" now as the teams race towards what sounds like being the most significant point in the race ... the cut off at the end of Stage 4.
If teams misjudge reaching this cut off they will be out of the race and from the sounds of the attached report from Sleepmonsters the race commentators amongst the action believe that some teams are seriously at risk of this happening. Orionhealth.com are in this category but that's no surprise as they have obviously been pushing hard on the edge the whole way. The concern is that there are not too many "Plan B" type options on the long 160km Mountain Bike leg they will be starting after the 60km trek they started this stage with - so they will need everything to go right for them from this point on.
I applaud them for backing themselves and have confidence that they are doing the right thing for them ... as that saying goes "aim for the moon - if you miss at least you will reach the stars"!
I've received an update from Karyn and Roy (Orionhealth.com support crew) which is below and have attached a link to the Sleepmonsters report too. Hopefully the reports we get during the day will show the team making good time towards the stage end.
A3 was another hectic one. Although doing well on the rollerblades they were a bit slower than usual on the water resulting in missing one of the optional cps that many of the others achievedso I expect they may have slipped down the leader board a bit.
The teams who missed the whitewater cut off in stage 2 were able to run around to the same checkpoint in a similar time to those who were kayaking so do not loose points or positions. Orion came in an hour and a half before the departure time for the next stage and were very cold cold and wet. A quick change and huddle in the tent 4 hot food and a quick snooze while theri bags were repacked enabled them to meet the deadline but they were looking a bit rough around the edges.
After much discussion they decided to sleep on this side of the river after checking out before proceeding with the trek. Last seen they were heading towards an olive grove. Hopefully a decent sleep will revive them back to their usual cohesion!
It is ecpected that we won't see then for 24 hours of so as the next stations are drop off only. Hopefully the
official website will be informative and current! [Lynne - I love how support crews have such never ending positivity and hope! ;o) ]
Sleepmonsters Race Report - Storming the Castle
http://sleepmonsters.com/racereport.php?page_action=rep&race_id=7511&article_id=6211
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