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Kiwis On Top As Rookies Excel In Thrilling Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge Opener |
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Kiwi triple champions, Richard and Elina Ussher, started where they left off 12 months ago in the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 2010 prologue today, as teams from across Europe and Australasia kept up the pressure on the New Zealand endurance stalwarts. With a record 49 teams from 18 countries lined-up in the UAE capital, including many of the world’s top endurance racers, competition was always going to be tough at the new-look six-day multi-discipline race. Yet it was the Ussher-led foursome that made the lightest work of the opening Adventure Challenge 21.7km prologue leg, clinching a lung-bursting time of 2h14m23s - nearly seven minutes ahead of second placed Thule Adventure Team Europe from France. "It was very good today although we had a bit of disadvantage because we had to start from the rightmost end while having to paddle towards the first buoy at the left side of the course. It is still a long race. The key to our success is that we are all on the same level," said Ussher, captain of Thule Adventure Team. "It’s always nice to take the lead from the first day but with a new course and a very strong field, this is still wide open and there are a few teams out there we need to watch out for." In perhaps the biggest surprise of the day - which saw close to 200 athletes swim, run and canoe along the UAE capital’s sweeping Corniche - was that three Swedish teams were in the fastest 10, with rookies Netcompetence, one of a record 30 newcomers entered this year, placing highest with a decisive third place finish. Led by Swedish adventure racing champion Per Vestling, Netcompetence was less than seven minutes behind Ussher’s team, and two minutes behind second placed Thule Adventure Team Europe, led by two-time Adventure Challenge runner-up, Jacky Boisset. "The triathlon prologue was really good for us," said Vestling. "Now we will fight harder in the next days to get closer to the team of Richard Ussher." Rounding out the top 10 were fellow Swedes, Team FJS powered by Saab, in fourth; Aussie outfit, Giddiup, in fifth; Switzerland’s Team Wenger in sixth; France’s Vibram Lafuma 1 and 2, in seventh and eighth; the third Swedish outfit, Silva Gerber Adventure, in ninth and Denmark’s Jotun Paints in 10th. Only 14 minutes separate the top 10, and only four minutes meant the difference between third and 10th. Billed as one of the world’s toughest and hotly contested endurance races, the Adventure Challenge continues to attract a growing number of athletes to emirate. Domestic interest in the event also continues to grow, with a record nine UAE-based teams entered in the fourth edition - running until 15th December. However only eight started as Team Al Moughamiroun was forced to retire at the 11th hour as one member fell ill. Leading the charge on the domestic front was Team 2XU Blackberry, which finished 27th overall on day one - more than 25 minutes ahead of the nearest other UAE team, Eco Racers, in 39th. "It was a very tough race. We are not that experienced in paddling but we are very proud to be best UAE team so far," said Team 2XU Blackberry captain, Darryl Chiles of Great Britain. Also making their debut at this year’s race were two women-dominated teams from South Africa and Russia. At the end of the adventure triathlon prologue, Team www.ar.co.za from South Africa, led by Lisa de Speville, came in at 44th position - 14 minutes behind the Russian team, Arena Craft, which took 37th. "The prologue of an endurance race is hard and very fast but a lot of fun," said de Speville. "The real race starts tomorrow and we are looking forward to the longer sections." Speaking about the record line-up and the fiercely contested opening day, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, which is behind the event, was adamant that this year’s event would see some of its most gripping action yet. "With a new course, hugely enhanced field and some of the best athletes on the planet all battling it out, this event will be wide open till the final stroke of the paddle next week," said Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager, ADTA, who led race organisers in the start countdown. "What has been extremely positive is the amount of fans that have turned out to cheer these brave athletes on. This event has a real community spirit about it and we hope to see many more on the finishing line to congratulate the racers on what would have been six days of gripping, energy sapping competition." The 49 teams finished off the day one competition with a gruelling 28.7km mountain biking and 6.3km adventure running stage in Al Ain. On Saturday, a 5.5km adventure running and 13.8km mountain biking sprint await the teams before they go through a punishing 11km mountaineering challenge that involves running through dry canyons, rocky ridges and valleys, and scaling up to 970 metres of the towering 1,240 metre Jebel Hafeet. The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge was conceived by ADTA to globally promote the emirate’s burgeoning credentials as a world-class adventure leisure destination and to showcase Abu Dhabi’s vast natural beauty. Following the event’s opening day, racing fans will be also be able to cheer on their country’s teams at the finish, which takes place on Abu Dhabi’s Corniche public beach for the first time, on Wednesday (15th December). ADTA works closely with a number of governmental and commercial bodies to successfully stage the Challenge, including General Head Quarters of the Armed Forces (GHQ); Critical National Infrastructure Authority (CNIA); Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO); Abu Dhabi Police; Al Ain Traffic Police; Abu Dhabi Customs; Ministry of Health; Abu Dhabi Beaches; Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Mirfa municipalities; and Emirates Palace. To find out more about Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 2010, please log on to: www.abudhabi-adventure.com. |
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