Qasr Al Sarab - The race got underway again this morning at 4 am, on the edge of the Rub al Khali desert, with 94 km of mountain bike and the beginning of a long desert trek...
After two days of quicksilver sections, the ADAC finally got into it’s expeditionary stride at 4 o’clock this morning with the much-anticipated mountain biking and desert trekking sections.
While the sky was still ablaze with a myriad of stars, the 49 teams still in the race took to their bikes for a 94 km ride along a rollercoaster track hampered by encroaching dunes and stretches of treacherous potholes. Leaders THULE ADVENTURE (NZ) and THULE EUROPE (FRA) soon parted company with the pack finishing the testing, sand strewn section in around 4 hours 30 minutes, about 20 minutes ahead WENGER (SUI) and NET COMPETENCE (SWE).
After a 30-minute rest, the teams continued onto the start of an arduous 116 km desert crossing on foot. With gaiters and head protection in place, the fastest teams embarked on this potentially game changing section at 9 o'clock.
17.5 km later (CP H3), as noonday temperatures soared, THULE ADVENTURE (NZL), CHINA TEAM-1 (CHI) and ADIDAS TERREX (GBR) decided to continue into the desert while the rest of the top 10 teams chose to take some of the eight hours of obligatory rest. Both strategies are designed to bring some advantage to their respective proponents during the night. It remains to be seen which one will pay off!
Live race coverage and information at http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/
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