Yukon Arctic Ultra 2004, Day 2
On its second night, Yukon Arctic Ultra 2004 has gone through a sudden change of weather which has made the race far harder for the competitors. Having had a fairly mild first 36 hours, during the second night the temperature out on the course plumetted to around minus 30, making the race a far more serious challenge than it was just a day before. Four or five competitors decided to withdraw overnight, some of them suffering the effects of the cold. They were picked up and ferried to safety by snow-machine.
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Rocky, the mountain biker is way out in front. Stefan, a reporter following second-placed biker, German Sven Riedesel, had just returned to the High Country inn in Whitehorse this morning at 11am.
ŚRocky arrived at Braeburn yesterday at 11 am and he left in the afternoon, intending to ride through the night. He was very disappointed because snowmachines have been over the trail, and have left their tracks in the hardpack.‚
Which has made it an incredibly uncomfortable juddering run for him. He is unable to keep up the 8 miles per hour that he was counting on, and instead is covering something around 5mph.
About five competitors have now passed through Braeburn, which is the end of the 100 mile course. Rocky was followed by the two x-country skiers and then Sven Riedesel the second biker and a couple of runners too.
And the course is gradually moving through Braeburn now. At 9am this morning (after 45 hours out on the course), there was a large group of 10 runners, travelling together in the adverse weather, approaching the 100 mile checkpoint. Some are no doubt on the 100 mile course. Others have a long and cold 200 miles still to go.
