The wild and unpredictable conditions in Chilean Patagonian made for a thrilling opening day on the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race – as organisers and competitors were both challenged to the limit both getting to and travelling through the remote region of Tierra del Fuego on Tuesday.
A field of 56 international competitors expected to kick off the world’s toughest and wildest race by kayaking across the Straits of Magellan but the Armada de Chile was forced to cancel the paddle when conditions became too extreme, with winds of 45 knots and swells of three metres.
Instead, all were gathered on the shoreline staring at white-capped waves as race director Stjepan Pavicic shouted the plans over the howling wind, directing the racers to the Patagonia ferry across the straits, where they took an impromptu opportunity to watch the local nature as a school of porpoises danced in its wake.
Nicola MacLeod, the captain of reigning champions Helly Hansen-Prunesco, backed the decision to cancel the kayak and explained: "It looked alright but out there we would be going across and downwind, the most awkward type of paddling. I think we would have had some swimmers and some people on the rocks on the other side."
The teams landed on Tierra del Fuego and gathered for the new race start on the stunning grassland-backed pebble beach, where the incessant headwinds continued to blow. With the words "Welcome to Patagonia", Pavicic started the race and the teams finally set off on their 600km adventure.
The pack of athletes immediately split into two, with an advance group making a strong pace into the wind and some of those behind roping up to help each other battle against the wind. Just two-and-a-half hours later, the lead teams turned off the beach at a whale carcass and arrived at PC2, with Switzerland leading the way.
Reigning champions Helly Hansen-Prunesco were not far behind, however, and their slick speed at the checkpoint, where teams had to collect and put together their mountain bikes, change their gear and re-pack their bags, served them well as they began riding towards PC3 in the lead.
Switzerland and Herbertz, from Germany, were close behind and the lead trio was half an hour ahead of fourth placed team Spain as they set off on the rough tracks through the undulating hills for the next 100km.
The ferocious winds, blowing head on, made it a tough ride but it was a thorn in the road that stopped Helly Hansen-Prunesco with three punctures, costing 20 minutes and allowing Switzerland to re-take the lead. "The wind was so strong in the first part it nearly blew us off the bikes," said Helly Hansen-Prunesco’s Bruce Duncan.
As darkness fell on PC3, Switzerland kept going and Helly Hansen-Prunesco also moved through fast, although all teams were missing food bags and maps after the challenging conditions caused the ferry to Tierra del Fuego to be stopped and left much of the organisation’s gear on the wrong side of the straits.