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| Photo: ARWC |
Leaving the Atlantic coast behind, teams racing for the adventure racing world title have resumed action today deep inside central Portugal's mountainous region.Estoril Portugal XPD Race has invaded the Schist Villages, aiming at Serra da Estrela. Nordic Teams are leading the pack so far.
After the Estoril coast, Sintra and Cascais, the 59 teams coming from 25 countries, racing for the adventure racing world title, have been regrouped at the Village of Lousã in order to resume action. As of now, there will be no more stops in this unusual competition, with about 900 kilometers to complete within 120 hours.
Proper management of effort as well as that of sleep (or lack of it) and most of all strategy - not to mention physical performance - are the key factors for electing this year's World Champions.
At the start line, at Lousã's Castle this morning, all eyes were set on the “Lundhags Adventure” Swedish team - leading the pack after the 1st Stage of this year's Estoril Portugal XPD Race. Even so, team captain Mattias Nystrom sounded imune to pressure; “I believe we are in the lead due to our vast experience in short races, but we know how little that means. We will have to keep calm and manage our resting times properly in order not to compromise our final objective - Top 5”.
Among the Portuguese teams, a special highlight to “Team Greenland ATV”, who are racing for a cause. Team captain Pedro Roque explains: “We want to dedicate our race to Operação Nariz Vermelho who are playing an extremely relevant role and therefore deserve our total commitment”. Obviously, they started this stage with their clown's red noses on!
During this day teams evolved mostly on foot and mountain bike, with some intense pauses for a rappel and a surprising cannyoning section, spreading the teams over mountains and valleys approaching the country's highest mountain. During the night, with increasing navigation difficulties, the cold will also be the enemy that teams must fight.
For full race information, see www.arwc2009.com.
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| Photos: ARWC |
