New Zealanders March On As Brits And Spaniards Break Into Top 10

Al Ain Separates Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge Field With Tough Jebel Hafeet Stages

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Pushing towards an unprecedented fourth title, Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge leader, Thule Adventure Team of New Zealand, maintained its early dominance in the Oasis City of Al Ain on day two to open up a commanding 24 minute lead on the chasing pack.

The Kiwi foursome – led by triple Abu Dhabi champions Richard and Elina Ussher – continued to show why they are regarded as the world’s top endurance racers after powering to emphatic stage wins in both the 5.5kms Jebel Hafeet run and 28.7km bike sprint, leaving second placed Thule Adventure Team Europe from France struggling to keep pace.

“Our focus and concentration have worked well for us and we are very happy to have increased our lead even by a few more minutes,” said Ussher. “We are hoping to further increase our lead as we enter the third day.”

In the biggest show of determination, Guats Adventure from Canada staked its claim on the gruelling six-day event with the fourth fastest time across the rugged outcrops of the emirate’s highest peak, whilst Adidas Terrex from the UK and both CHINA-1 and CHINA-2 also made impressive strides.

The lung-bursting efforts of the UK debutants saw them justly rewarded as they broke into the top 10 for the first time with Salomon Santiveri Outdoor Team of Spain also barging its way into the elite standings of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)-organised event.

Now in 9th and 10th, the Spanish and British teams vastly improved their 13th and 18th positioning attained after Friday’s opening triathlon prologue at the scenic Abu Dhabi Corniche. With overall times of 6h52m48s and 6h55m59s respectively, they are 54 and 57 minutes off Ussher’s Thule Adventure Team’s race-leading pace, and will be looking towards the vast expanse of the Empty Quarter to level the playing field on days three and four.

“Yesterday we experienced some difficulties because the bikes didn’t work well,” said Miguel Angel Lopes Torres, team captain of Salomon Santiveri Outdoor. “But today, we were on a very high level and we did expect to be in the top ten.”

Additionally, fourth-running Wenger team from Switzerland looked poised to grab third spot from rookies Netcompetence of Sweden after registering the third and second fastest times in the adventure running and mountain biking sections respectively.

As a result, the Swiss have narrowed the gap on the superlative Swedes to just a little over a minute, recording an overall time of 6h31m33s against Netcompetence’s 6h30m14s.

“Our strong legs enabled us to have a very good bike section,” said Wenger’s team captain Bernhard Hug. “And we are confident that we will remain in contention for the title over the coming days.”

In 23rd, the 2XU Blackberry squad continued to lead all other UAE entries with an overall time of 7h23m58s. Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team - led by Germany’s 2005 Ironman World Champion Faris Al Sultan – also found its stride to finish 20th, with an overall time of 7h13m48s after two days. The second-best performing UAE squad is the 4 Empty Quarters Team led by Robin McGowan in 39th place.

In the battle of two women-dominated squads, the Arena Craft team from Russia continued to reign supreme over the Lisa de Speville-led www.ar.co.za from South Africa to sit in 30th, with an overall time of 8h13m37s. The South African team is in 41st, just under 11 minutes behind its Russian rival with an overall time of 8h24m28s.

Rounding up the top ten teams, European and Australasian squads continued to dominate the gruelling six-day endurance race with Sweden having the most representatives, (Netcompetence 3rd, Team FJS powered by Saab 6th and Silva Gerber Adventure 7th), New Zealand has two (Thule Adventure Team 1st and Orion Adventure 5th) as does France (Thule Adventure Team Europe 2nd and Vibram Lafuma 8th). Switzerland (Wenger 4th), Spain (Salomon Santiveri Outdoor Team 9th) and the UK (Adidas Terex 10th) have one each.

After the 11km mountaineering stage – day two’s final section – all 49 teams then move into the punishing 94km mountain bike section and 116km desert orienteering section through the expansive Rub’ al Khali desert – the world’s largest expanse of unbroken sand, similar in size to Holland, France and Belgium combined.

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 the emirate. Domestic interest in the event also continues to grow, with a record eight UAE-based teams entered in the fourth edition – running until 15th December.

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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