1997 Raid Gauloises
January 28--Raiders begin to show effects of harsh elements
By James Bowyer
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Saddle-sore riders continue to plod through the wet weather
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As the fourth day of the Raid closed, teams began to show the effects of excessive sun and rain. Saddle-sore riders plodded on through the lingering rain, with the leaders wedging a 24-hour gap between them and the rest of the pack.
Still with a firm grip on the lead, Ertips continues to maintain its machine-like pace. Giloes Zok, who led his team to victory in last year's Raid, has again been impressive with his winning methods. The team from Lyon has studied the course in detail and calculated the number of hours each section should take. The passionless method has proven to produce a
consistently sturdy pace. But their 14-minute lead over fellow French team Infopoint/Hewlett-Packard is negligible.
The two leading teams have logged a meaty gap over the chasing pack bent on toppling them. The battle for the lower places has intensified, with just over 20 minutes separating the teams.
Already, nagging injuries are beginning to show.
"It feels like my windpipe has been torn in half," is how Louise Cooper-Lovelace described a racking cough that has persisted since the second day. The captain of the third-place team pushed on, but may have to pay heavily later because of today's rain.
The most common ailments today are linked to foot problems. Blisters, open sores, and peeling skin from the first day's hike will be slow to heal in soggy weather.
While teams suffered in the field, media, support teams, and organizers huddled in the highest licensed bar in Africa, listening to reports of the damage caused by rains. The bar at 9,433 feet is near the Sani Pass, which is now impassible to anything but four-wheel drive vehicles.
Those at the second headquarters await teams to come in from the clinging mist and soaking rain that has settled on the trail, most of which is above 8,865 feet.
The key to the horse-riding section, says Christian Phillipe, who set this section of the course, is to empathize with the horses. In order to avoid penalties, teams must pace their horses and avoid injuries.
The sure-footed Besotho ponies are expected to bring in the leaders tomorrow morning for the next killer stage, a 110-kilometer hike over a 10,835-foot pass into South Africa.
Quotes for the day
"Tell my mom I'm trying to keep warm." --Louise Cooper-Lovelace, captain of Team Endeavor.
"The information we have is that the weather should be as bad as it was today." --Raid organizer describing the forecast.
"This is becoming a Raid for the support teams." --support team member Lawrence Bloch, pondering over how he will cross Sani Pass.
James Bowyer is a freelance journalist living in Cape Town, South Africa.
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