Day two done

The paddle today was shortened to leave out the one island stop. It probably cut out about 5km. The wind out that way was blasting. For us binnelanders it was quite something to paddle on the open sea. Quite a bit of swell as we crossed from the eastern side of Yas Island to a smaller one 13km east. This was after a out and back down Yas Island's coast.

Total paddle took up 4h15. We got in around 4pm. We dont know our placing. A team came in after 6 still.

We expect the paddle tomorrow to take around 10hrs and it includes two island stops before we strike for the mainland; a place called Mirfa.

Ah. Earlier today next so the island coast we had fish jumping all over. Fun.

We have just had our own dinner mostly of tuna sachets and crackers and melrose. Other off treats too. Garth brought tinned fruit and custard. Chris brought Oreos. Yum.

We will sleep really well tonight and now, at 8pm we are ready to sleep. We start at 6am. It is still dark then. We have glo sticks on our kayaks to ward off the oil tankers.

Night.
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Media release: From pedal to paddle…

Sir Bani Yas Island – 13th December, 2008 – For the second day of the race, based on the picturesque Sir Bani Yas Island, the teams started with an opening 45.5km MTB section followed by a 27km kayaking leg culminating at Umm al Kurkum Island, where competitors will now spend the night.

The herds of gazelles that abound in the Sir Bani Yas Island nature reserve were certainly perplexed. Their usual calm was somewhat disrupted this morning at sunrise as the teams sped by on the opening 45.5km MTB section, leaving a substantial cloud of dust in their wake. A looping course took them around Sir Bani Yas Island, the glow of the setting full moon being rapidly replaced by a rising sun growing brighter and hotter with passing minutes. With only 300m of elevation gain over the entire course, the only redoubtable adversary was going to be the tracts of soft sand interspersed by the draining roller-coaster ride. In the final reckoning, DESERT ISLANDS (NZ), NIKE (USA), TEAM NZ (NZ) and TEAM SOLE (USA) were the fastest along with SPORT 2000 VIBRAM LAFUMA (FRA). NIKE (USA) put in the fastest time at 1h37”07” covering the course at an average of over 28km/h.

After a break of around two hours, the teams undertook the first leg of a sea kayaking section prudently shortened to 27km, due to unusually strong winds and troublesome swell. Racing away from East Beach, the 36 teams first negotiated the emerald waters of a mangrove-strewn lagoon before undertaking the demanding 14.5km paddle out onto the high seas towards Umm al Kurkum Island. TEAM SOLE (USA) led the fleet a few metres ahead of current race leaders DESERT ISLAND (NZ), TEAM NZ (NZ), WILSA HH (FRA), ADCO AROC (AUS) and SPORT 2000 VIBRAM OUTDRY (FRA). The French completed a magnificent paddle by eventually taking first place at the end of the day with the best time on the section at 2h59”. The French, led by François FALOCI and Jacky BOISSET are currently sitting in 3rd place in the overall ranking, with the Kiwis of DESERT ISLAND and TEAM NZ just ahead. The last of the 35 teams finished this section shortly before nightfall, joining the other competitors on Kurkum Island for a welcome overnight bivouac and a chance to recharge their batteries before the massive and challenging section tomorrow, kayaking to Mirfa, 82km along the coast.


Provisional Top 5 after Section C – Sea Kayaking 27km

1 DESERT ISLANDS (NZ) 7h00:24
2 TEAM NZ (NZ) 7h10:49
3 SPORT 2000 LAFUMA OUTDRY (FRA) 7h11:52
4 ADCO AROC (AUS) 7h17:31
5 TEAM SOLE (USA) 7h17:40

Live race coverage and information at www.abudhabi-adventure.com

Day two

We have just finished the 50km cycle and are back at the camp. We started at 7am and took 2.5hrs. We get access to the kayaks in 20min and need to get them well packed with our stuff for the next day and a half.

Ride was good but damn fast in the begining. Centre section through the hills was interesting. We saw some of the animals, like a here of small impala like buck. Perhaps gazelle but quite light in colour. Had some very sandy sections but for the most part the terrain was good.

The paddle is going to be tough. Wind behind for the first part and then straight into the wind to the overnight island.

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Island camp

We are on Yas Island now where we spend the night and then start day two. Excellent setup and even shower containers and loos. Have not yet had dins but the setup looks good. We are sleeping on the beach in our tent.

Saw Andre Gie this afternoon. They came about 7th today. He said he had to run like hell to keep up. But he is well and chirpy.

We start in the morning with a 50km mtb and then a paddle. Conditions should be good. I may not have cell reception. Night.

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Media release: A Taste of Effort and Opulence

Sir Bani Yas – 12th December, 2008 – The opening day of the 2008 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge embraced extremes of more than one nature: first came the effort required by the athletes to compete this morning’s inaugural triathlon, won by defending champions DESERT ISLANDS (NZ), fittingly followed by the discovery of the idyllic Sir Bani Yas Island, where the teams settled down for the evening, after a transfer by road and ferry, in preparation for tomorrow’s arduous programme.

The morning of the first day brought an explosive start to race as the teams sped away on their bikes for the first leg of an opening 40km triathlon held along and just offshore the Corniche Beach waterfront. The 17km MTB section along the wide avenues was followed by 12.5km of sea-kayaking around Lulu Island, 10km of trail running along the island’s tracks and dunes with a final sprint paddle back to the beach for the finish. The hot sun and stiff sea-breeze added to the fierce competition that saw last year’s winners DESERT ISLANDS (NZ) come out on top ahead of compatriots TEAM NZ and a SPORT 2000 VIBRAM OUTDRY (FR). An elated but somewhat perplexed Richard USSHER expressed his surprise at the outcome of this opening stage: “We are a little surprised at our lead on this first section, especially as we thought our strengths would lie more on the biking and running stages. Our paddle went really well though and we had an error free run on the island. The team is really well balanced overall and if any of us appear to be suffering they can always get help from another,” he said confidently.

The teams then transferred from Abu Dhabi West along the coast to Jebel Dhanna where they took the short ferry ride across from the mainland jetty to the spectacular desert island destination of Sir Bani Yas for the evening bivouac and a introspective night before tomorrow’s early morning MTB section. The mountains that crown this 17km by 9km pearl-shaped paradise loom out of a brilliant blue sea. In the fading light, the greenery that blankets the island appears to sweep down to the waters edge where mangroves blur the transition between land and sea. The dominant hues of deep ochre, burnt umber and green remind you of other renowned havens of peace and spirituality like Australia’s Ayers Rock and the short trip around the island, to the bivouac on the East Beach, reveals a tiny portion of the millions of trees planted over the years to provide a suitable habitat for the thousands of wild animals, including twenty-three rare species of birds and the iconic Oryx, not to mention giraffes, deer and the odd leopard, that run free here. Extensive archaeological digs have unearthed traces of early Christian and Muslim settlements, emphasising the historical importance of this “Arabian Eden” that is now home to cutting edge research and experiments aimed at “greening the desert”. From its ancient roots as a pearl fisher’s paradise to the modern cradle of the country’s agricultural rebirth, Sir Bani Yas is a truly emblematic essential in this race itinerary, providing a perfectly serene centrepiece for tomorrow’s 45.5km MTB section that gets underway at 07:00.

Top 5 after section A - Triathlon

1 DESERT ISLANDS NZ 02:23:12
2 TEAM NZ NZ 02:26:32
3 SPORT 2000 VIBRAM OUTDRY FR 02:27:30
4 ADCO AROC AU 02:29:07
5 LUNDHAGS ADVENTURE SE 02:29:26

Live race coverage and information at http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/

Day One done

We have just had a super first day. Very much a sprint race. Fast, fast, fast.

We started out on the main coastal road, flying along on our bikes. Quick transition to kayaks, our first time in them. We had to start with the sails up and we left them up the whole way round Lulu Island. Then a run on the island, took just under an hour. No challenge there. This island would be a fabulous orienteering venue if it got mapped; we did no orienteering though.

Then we got back in the boats for a quick paddle back to the beachfront.

The water is the most stunning blue and the conditions were good. If we have this tomorrow we will have a great day out.

I am not too sure where we placed but it would be in the upper 20's of the 36 teams.

Of interest, the maps we had today where Google sat images at 1:27500. Worked for today. I dont know what we will have for the other days. Probably sat images too.

We are waiting for the bus now to take us to the overnight camp. Lovely social environment here and I am sure the vibe tonight will be festive.
Lobby and Chris saw a turtle on the paddle.

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Opening ceremony

Just had the opening ceremony and team presentation at a lovely outdoor venue in Abu Dhabi.

Team agrees that it was very exciting to see all the teams and to absorb the whole race vibe. Very festive.

After being here since Tuesday we are itching for the race to start.

We are on the way back to the hotel now and need to get our bags packed for the prologue. Breakfast is available from 4am. We get transported at 6am and start at 8am.

Lauren, Garth and Christiaan say hi to everyone too.
Photo of the mosque is of the huge one near the hotel, just outside of the city. Still under construction. When completed it will be second biggest in the World, so we have been told. It really is impressive.

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