Guadarun 2008 Day 1
Bryan Sharp writes
La Desirade Race 1
Afer a comfortable night under canvas we unzipped the ent to be greeted by the gentle lapping of the Atlantic and mile upon mile of golden sand. Petit Dejeuner as it was to be known for the next few days was served upto the 40 or so competitors at a rather unsociable 0530 hours.
A quick warm up, stretch, last minute kit check and the race start was upon us, a 0700 start would ensure or so we thought that we would avoid the blistering sun and complete the 26km circuit of the island quicker than you could say "Factor 50"
Stage 1 started with a gentle ascent along coastal roads and footpaths. The first 10km's or so was well marked and east to follow with a cool morning sun and a gentle sea breeze thing's seemed pretty easy, however thing's were about to change.
MORE...
After turning at a cliff top lighthouse and across volcanic rocks we were met with a meandering ascent that had the 4X4 support vehicles struggling for breath. The majority of the competitors walked the ascent as the sun began to beat down and the cooling breze disappeared below us. An undulating cliff top track provided welcome relief from burning thighs but not the heat of the sun before we descended back into town through crowds of cheering locals to the finish line on the beach. A hearty feast of fresh fruit to replenish the fuel tank for tomorrow and a quick dip in the ocean was a far more welcome post race treat than the usual Mars Bar and tin foil blanket combo!
A beautiful unch was served almost as quickly as it was eaten, tents were packed and we were on our way to the ferry to Grand Terre.
to be continued
Back to Main News
There are no comments yet! Be the first to leave one!
