January 25--Raiders start race with grueling climb
By James Bowyer

It was at the third checkpoint that the Raid claimed its first victim. Jerome Touzet of Lestra Sport slipped while attempting to cross a river. Suffering from a dislocated shoulder and what might be a broken rib, he was airlifted out for medical attention.

The other Raiders didn't suffer serious injuries, but their plight was tortuous just the same. Although some of the trail followed contour paths, most of the course was made up of a grueling climb. By the end of the day, Raiders had hiked from the starting point at 5,000 feet to the Organ Pipe Pass at just under 9,850 feet--a merciless 4,925-foot gap spread over 25 miles.

The task was made more difficult by sweltering heat that pushed the mercury up to 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit).

The day's leaders made it to the fifth checkpoint 21 minutes after the 6 p.m. curfew prevented them from beginning the river leg. The rest of the teams will hike through the night in order to reach the end of the first section.

As teams take to the water, they will no longer have the benefit of the unusually fine weather. The regional forecast predicts heavy rain over the next three days. For now, the weather is holding. The usual mist clinging to Champagne Castle Peaks dissipated as the 46 teams gathered for the beginning of the eighth and longest Raid Gauloises.

While a helicopter hovered overhead, journalists seeking Kodak moments and meaningful sound bites mingled with teams from 13 countries. In the dawn light, a smiling Gerard Fusil fired the starting gun, spurring on Raiders to face their first challenge: a 1,640-foot climb into the mountains. Teams filed ant-like along the spine of a ridge pitched like a stairway leading to a height of more than 6,550 feet.

Credit Immobilier de France was the first to pass the third checkpoint, a position they would hold until the end of the day. The French team conquered the first 18.6-mile stretch in an impressive four hours. Organizers had not expected teams for at least six to eight hours.

They were closely followed by Team Endeavor, a U.S./New Zealand effort, which dogged the leaders for the rest of the day.

Quotes for the day

"The route will become a little bit harder." --Raid founder Gerard Fusil, describing the 4,925-foot climb on the first day of the race.

"It is nothing very bad." --Raid official describing the fall and airlift of the event's first victim.

"Why do people do it? Because it feels so good when it stops." --veteran Raid photographer Tony Di Zinnio.

James Bowyer is a freelance journalist living in Cape Town, South Africa.