We have some warm food and then off we go…...straight into heavy rainfalls

Friday Morning 9.00: Start of the race, we the NIKE ACG Team (Vroni Swidrak, Mario Bürger, Mikko Vehmas and Michi Hohenwarter) gather around a table to separate the controls for the first orienteering. Mario and Vroni head straight to the lake, Mikko and Michi go for the controls. Within 20 Minutes all of us are at the lake, there we take advantage of our swimming-matresses, which make the swimming very easy and fast for us. A quick change after the swimming and we start in the MTB-section. Everything goes smoothly, except Mikko`s lungs. As soon as it goes uphill we have to pull him with our so called “g-line”. The MTB-orienteering brings the next problems. Vroni has a flat tire. As long as we`ve split for the MBO-section and Mario (+Mikko) has the repair-kit we have some problems. It takes us (Vroni+Michi) at least 15 Minutes to solve the “flat-tire-problem”.

The first trek seems easy and short, but it turns out to be longer than expected. Mikko is still suffering and we help him with the “g-line”. We reach the orienteering stage at the end of DAY 1. With the last light and the help of your headlamps we easily find the checkpoints. Before we start in the next MTB-leg we have some warm food and then off we go…...straight into heavy rainfalls. After 30 Minutes riding in the pouring rain, we reach “dry land”, but then the “flat tyre orgy starts”. Vroni has one flat tyre every hour. In the end we recognize that she damaged the coat of her bike in the afternoon. As soon we finally solved this problem, we miss one junction and drive in the wrong direction for 20 minutes. Finally we reach the cave at CP 14 at 4.15, after a lot of small problems.

When we drive down to the river it is the first time we see one of the other teams coming to the cave. We know the gap is about 2h. The walking in the river to CP 16 is no fun at all, but we also have to go through this stage.

Mikko`s health condition improved and our speed is now slower, so no more problems with his lungs. The trek now leads us up in the mountains. Steep uphill to CP 17. To CP 18 we take the safty-route on the marked path over the mountains (entirely right). It carst terrain turns out to be quite hard to cross. A lot of small depressions, a lot of small path-turns, it is very slow up there, and we are not always sure if we are on the right track. We recognize that this route is very slow, we are already calculating that one team might have passed by via an other route. We are quite happy to reach the canyon at CP 18, still having the lead.
After the short water-excursion we head steep up to CP 21. All of us are getting problems with sore feet. The orienteering on Velika Planina is no problem for us. The trek now is much fast than in the beginning. Good roads and pathes, but night is coming again. The final descend down to the CP 23 takes it`s time, because Vroni is suffering from problems with a sinew. We finally get to the transition, eat some more warm food and off we are again.

After the short water-excursion we head steep up to CP 21

Untill now we only slept for 30 Minutes waiting to start with the caving, so we are quite tired. At CP 24 we decide to sleep for 15 Minutes, to wait for the light, which makes it easier to find the correct roads to CP 25 (we take the route on the right side). From CP 25 down to the lake; we cross the lake without problem with all our equipment. We get the information, that we are the only team to finish the entire course, so the transitions now take longer…..

The kajak is much fun, we really enjoy it. The final bike leg turns out to be the hardest part of the race ;). The incredible heat, the tiredness, sore feet and no team chasing us, makes it hard to keep moving fast. Finding the cave turns out to be a bit tricky, but we also manage this. The remaining gruelling steep climbs to Velenje are horrible. As we reach the highest point we are really happy and just roll down to the finish…

After 53h and about 330km and 11.200hm we are at the finish, a great feeling to finish in first position.

Winners of Adventure race Slovenia 2006 - Team Nike ACG from Austria

Nike ACG Team wants to thank the organizers for this interesting race. It was a real adventure. A lot of route choices, all the small tasks (caving, cp in the mine…) and the non-stop-format made this course really good. Also thanks to all the volunteers and people involved into the race, without them the race would not be possible to take place. I can recommend the race to all teams, you will be overwhelmed by the friendliness of the people and hopefully by a course as interesting as in this years edition.

Text: Michi Hohenwarter, Team Nike ACG
Photo: Team Nike ACG