Raid course said to be most punishing in event's eight-year history
By James Bowyer

"This year's Raid is probably the best we have ever had," Gerard Fusil announces while briefing the media who have gathered at a hotel in remote South Africa, near the Lesotho border.

By best, Fusil--a man noted for his severely understated humor--means toughest, hardest, most grueling, punishing, unforgiving adventure in the Raid's eight-year history.

The soaring Champaign Castle Peaks surrounding the starting point may have been chosen by organizers as a cynical toast to the departing heroes of the Raid.

"The first 24 hours of the race will be the most critical," warns Fusil, founder of the Raid Gauloises. He means it. Those who complete the hiking section in six to eight hours will be able to begin the 40-mile river section before the 6 p.m. curfew. Those who don't make it will have to begin the rafting section Sunday, giving the frontrunners a huge lead.

But even a lead on the Senqu River is no guarantee of success. Locals claim that no one has followed its course in living memory. One can only speculate why.

By the time leading Raiders reach the horseback trail, the mud will have been sorted from the diamonds. Strong riders will be able to recover on the one-and-a-half-day ride across the mountain plateau. Perhaps they will even get a chance to acknowledge what promises to be spectacular views of the surrounding peaks.

The weak will suffer.

Besides strict regulations, Raiders may be plagued by temperamental high-altitude weather that rapidly bounces the mercury from positive to negative. Fog, lightning storms, and strong winds are all common on the trail above 9,850 feet.

Those who reach the Sani Pass will enter South Africa and face a merciless hike on what could be Day 4 for the leaders. The hike will be followed by 22 punishing miles of whitewater rafting.

"It's a very technical, magnificent river," says Fusil, meaning that Raiders will have to work their way through Class III+ to Class IV+ rapids.

Statistics from previous races suggest that half the Raiders will not make it to the mountain bike ride.

The final section of the race is an 18.6-mile paddle along the steep-banked Mkamazi River in its final rush toward the coast.

Although mere miles from the end, fatigued Raiders must avoid capsizing their craft in the boulder-littered river.

Those who survive will have to raise themselves for the final 500-meter dash to glory.

Let the Raid begin.

Quotes for the day

"Explore your nature." --Raid Gauloises logo

"In case of heavy flow on the Sani River, crossing may be temporarily forbidden--the halting time will not be subject to recuperation." --from the Raid competitors' book, known by Raiders as "the little book."

"The road is the most magnificent I have ever seen in my life." --Gerard Fusil talking about the road to Lesotho, the highest in Africa.

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