Gaucho Derby 2020: Race Day Five

The cold earth slept below;
Above the cold sky shone;

I won't continue.  The rest of the poem is Quite Gloomy. Nevertheless, this is very much the theme emerging for the Gaucho Derby 2020; today the race was rerouted again as the weather took yet another turn for the worst.

Today's ride was supposed to be another mountain stage but the Adventurists rerouted to take the riders on a scenic 60 kilometre loop from Vet Station Five instead.  It looks as if no-one really escaped the snowstorm unscathed and the Adventurists are not taking any chances with the riders' "not performing" or "damaged" gear.  The riders are still navigating their own way around, but the relief on their faces is visible (am I imagining this?) and the race has definitely shifted gears again.  

Veterans of Race the Wild Coast, an adventure horse race in South Africa run by two Mongol Derby veterans, had suggested to me before the Gaucho Derby started that the pack horses, difficult navigation and tricky terrain would make it likely that riders would bunch up in relatively large groups (as had happened in South Africa).  This might have been the case before the weather drove the race out of the high country, but it certainly isn't the case now.

Race leader Marie has ridden away from her former companion Corrie, who sits in second place.  In fact, the first six riders are all riding on their own for now: following Marie and Corrie are Claire King, Courtney Kizer, Chris Peterson and Charles van Wyk.  Louise and Laura follow in seventh place (they started together, as friends from the UK) with Stevie and Dylan behind in ninth (they're married, so not surprising). Zsofia has made it back from El Calafate to come in elevnth at the close of racing today, while Hanna Bartnick couldn't keep up with the pace of Laura and Louise.  She sits in twelth.  Julie Youngblood and the mysterious SS (answers on a postcard, please) are in thirteenth, Shirley is in fifteenth and Lisa Youngwerth is carrying the red lantern as the last racing rider.  She's in sixteenth place.  

Roberta is still in El Calafate, waiting to rejoin the riders on the finish line and everyone else is enjoying themselves thoroughly in the adventure class (Rob Skinner, Chris Maude, Annie, Linda, Nichole, Warren and... Jako (no idea)).

There was some debate online around what on earth has lead to the current condition of riders, gear and race.  Will Grant, writer, 2013 Mongol Derby veteran and experienced trail rider wondered whether perhaps the race had been set too late in the year.  Katja Joachim, 2014 Mongol Derby veteran, was pretty blunt: 

"There’s a lot you can’t prepare for so why you can’t get proper high altitude gear - especially after freezing your ass off in Mongolia in the middle of summer - is just something I can’t wrap my head around"

My take on the weather, for what it's worth, is that at least in New Zealand weather in the high country is always unpredictable.  Every year tourists (and some locals) get stuck in the mountains having wandered in on a bright sunny day in holiday clobber, only for the weather to turn nasty, leaving them up shit creek with not even a water repellant shoe to paddle out with.  This causes a lot of frustration locally, especially when the shiny WESTPAC RESCUE HELICOPTER has to be called out at GREAT EXPENSE to the NZ taxpayer.  Almost as much frustration as when the tourists crap all over the shop, but that's a separate issue.  I suppose my point is, the Adventurists rode the route previously, they have taken local advice and... it's the pioneer edition.

The gear question is interesting.  When I asked vet Campbell Costello what he would take if he did the Mongol Derby again, he said he'd take the clothes he stood up in and that's it.  It's a much asked question: "how do you prepare for a [insert improbable distance here] horse race across [insert little known terrain here]?"  The answer is, you can't.  Not really.  You can try, but an awful lot of preparation for something that is so new and unknown is a matter of luck.  I don't think the riders are poorly prepared idiots, I think the combination of unknowns left little margin for error and... it's the pioneer edition.  

I have just one caveat to the above.  If you are considering signing up for some sort of long distance horse lunacy, I would strongly recommend you get in touch with Maggie Pattinson, long-time Mongol Derby guru and umpire, Chef d'Equipe of the English endurance team and a real expert in managing horses over distance.  If you're based in the UK she's in Surrey, but even if you're not I would recommend her distance coaching service.  There is nobody better or more experienced and Maggie famously tells you what you need to hear in plain English; a rare and valuable service indeed.

I am having an absolutely brilliant time following this race and I have to take my hat off to the chutzpah of the Adventurists.  No-one else would (or probably could!) do what they're attempting to do in Patagonia and I'm much less interested in what has gone wrong than I am in how they will shift and adapt for next year.

Not that this year's race is over!  Corrie and Marie fans seem mollified, as their lead over the rest of the race seems unshakable.  But tomorrow is a new day and this has been a race full of surprises...  

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As usual, all comments are very welcome.  I'm very much enjoying all the messages, so please keep them coming even if you're not brave enough to slag Maude off gossip publically ;)