Day 2 Biking into the Atlas Mountains

After a good nights sleep we were ready to begin the second day of adventure racing. Day 2 found us starting on our bikes with a 27 km bike on old dirt roads. The race start found us in the race pack battling the rolling hills that would lead to a long climb into the Atlas Mountains. After the first 15km the terrain took a sudden change that found us on the long hill climb into the mountains. This climb provided stunning views of the Atlas mountains and at the top we were rewarded with gogeous views of the canyon below. The road continued to parrallel the canyon until we hit the TA for the climb section.

Unlike many adventure races in the US the time stopped once you got to the climbing section. You were able to relax for a moment and enjoy the scenery that surrounded you before making your way down into the gorge and up the opposite side to complete a magnificent tyrolean traverse across the canyon which had created a stunning view throughout the entire climb on the bike. Pleased with our positioning through the bike leg we savoured the view of the magnificent land around us and enjoyed the ropes section across the canyon.

After completeing the ropes we were back on our bikes for another 24 miles of mountain riding through the Atlas Mountains. During this section of riding the temperature increased and the heat became a bit of an issue for the first time in the race. With about 6 km to go on the 24km second ride we were pleased to see that the rode got better making for easier and faster riding. After completing this second ride and increasing our position we got to the TA for another orienteering course. This course would prove to be longer with a max time of 1hour and 45 minutes and the same rules as the first days O course.

We began the course smoothly with a higher quality map which made the navigation a bit easier. We cleared a first point and then began a long hike up a mountain to a second point. After making the hump to the top and grabbing the second point we traversed the ridgeline to a third point which butted out on a pencil thin scree ridge. Grabbing the third point and feeling good about our navigation we felt we could get to more points prior to returning to the TA which would end the day of racing. Navigating our way down to point three the clue sheet said that the point was at the intersection of the trail and a creek. The placement on the map however seemed more on a finger above the creek. We navigated are way over th finger but did not see the point, so assumed it would be in the creek. However, when we got to the creek there was no bag. After wasting some time looking for the bag we decided that it was best to move on to the finish. The last point we were going to go for was worth only 15minutes and decided it was better to save our legs and gain the 15 minutes by finishing the course a bit early. We finished the day strong gaining 17 minutes by coming in early but a bit of frustration was still felt by the fact that we missed the last point we attempted.

That evening we were put up at the local school house provided another delicious meal and once again had an opportunity to learn about the local Moroccan culture as live traditional music was played in the camp. Talking with Team Breathe Canada we learned that the point we were looking for was actually located inside a hut that we distinctly remeber passing along the finger. Talking with the course designer over dinner he explained that the clue sheet that was translated for us was actually an older version and the clue was incorrect. He apologize for the mistake but we could not stay upset still pleased with our days performance and enjoying what the race had to offer through the first two days.