Gaucho Derby 2020: Race Day Four

After a lot of scrambling by everyone involved, the race got underway again but not without some pretty major changes.  

The pack had been escorted to Vet Station Three by Adventurists crew members (route unclear, but presumably not involving the mountains).  There they caught up with Corrie and Marie, the only riders to successfully navigate from Vet Station Two to Vet Station Three and lucky penny Nichole who is no doubt still feeling very smug that her bad fortune had so unexpectedly led to possibly the smartest decision of the race so far.  Warren and Linda were bussed back from the hospital at about 0100 and so it was a near complete pack that rode out of Vet Station Three this morning on some rather nice looking Arabs (horses)(it's not that kind of race).  

At the end of racing today, it looked as if all riders still in the race had reached Vet Station Five (whether by horse or by carry forward in the case of Warren, Linda, Annie and Nichole who got very lost en route).  There is no public update regarding Zsofia and Roberta, presumably still languishing in El Calafate as they recover from hypothermia.

The Adventurists announced that, due to the "race restructure", the legs would be ridden as time trials.  This means that the riders will leave together each morning and the time taken to complete each leg will be used to calculate rider placings.  This, combined with the organisers ditching the packhorses tomorrow, will keep the field closer together and make the race much easier to manage for the crew.  Like it said on the tin, this is a pioneer event and these riders are guinea pigs as much as competitive athletes, but this uncertainty caused a bit of hoo hah online.  Lori Dooley said:

"This is very frustrating to watch as the people who did make it out of the mountains on their own are now basically equal with those that were flown out or guided out?  This race was supposed to be about navigation, horsemanship and endurance."

Devan Horn (three-time Mongol Derbyist and runner up in 2013) replied to point out:

"Every person who signed up for the pioneer edition knew this was a strong possibility - that "competitive fairness" [would end up as] the [lowest priority on the list of] issues for this year."

Devan is absolutely right, of course, and as placings won't be announced until tomorrow all the chelping about Corrie and Marie's lead being threatened is a bit premature to say the least.  Having said that, it would certainly be hard to see someone other than either Corrie or Marie winning now...  My two cents is that this will all work itself out and in any case, there are no reports of anyone riding the damn race complaining.  Feel free to gossip, provide thoughts or opinions below.  Or continue to send me private messages so I can make oblique references here tomorrow.

The other debate online is whether this is still a race at all.  In the same vein as Devan, Nicki Thorne suggested that the "likelihood of it not going to plan was a large part of the draw, [as] that's when action gives way to adventure" and she was quickly met with a reply from Tracey McCoy Hale suggesting "[that's] not a race then... it's a trail ride".  In my opinion, from following the Mongol Derby, the front of the race tends to be businesslike and relatively uneventful.  It's the chaos, bad luck and dubious decision making of everyone else, not to mention outstanding and little-observed acts of bravery and fortitude that makes for the best entertainment.  

Any rider I have spoken to who has ridden the Mongol Derby says "winning isn't the point" and yes, that includes Sam Jones who won in 2014.  I will never forget the bravery and determination that got Claudia Vicente Woodcock over the finish line in 2014 in excellent humour, despite endless bad luck and terrible sickness.  Or the incredible courage of Matthew Pierce, who took a nasty fall from a pretty unmanageable horse only to be told he had to ride it back to the horse station, because there was no-one around to help.  He didn't come close to winning, either, but I take my hat off to a man who in the face of adversity just gritted his teeth and got on with it.  And how about Heather Russell, who was chased a long way off course by bandits and who fought her way back up to gain a top ten finish in spite of everything?  Last but not least, special mention must go to Stevie Delahunt, just for being a shining beacon of good humour and fun.  Her smile was visible from miles away across the steppe, riding her barbie stallions picked for their flowing manes.  You see, I'm totally biased - Stevie won this race in my eyes long before she even started just because I can guarantee no-one will enjoy it more than her.

After all, isn't this supposed to be fun?!