Easy Implant Finish Second

On the afternoon of Day 8 Easy Implant – Compagnie.com made their way along the shoreline towards the race camp. There had been reports from early in the race that Bruno Rey was having a tough time and he was walking slowly and as they passed through camp. On the way by they said they had not eaten for the last day of the trek as they’d run out of food – but they didn’t stop for a snack and pushed on determinedly up the hill.

Despite arriving in daylight their pace was noticeably slower than Helly Hansen Prunesco and the steep ascent took them some time. The path is muddy but has been improved to a degree, with wooden steps put in on the boggy sections, hand ropes and two long ladder sections where there used to be a knotted rope to climb.

Gaining height the view expanded of the islands to the south and the coast along the Magellan Strait, and you could see why intrepid tourists make it to this point and the cross was erected here.

On top the wind was blowing strongly and it was cold as the team walked under the cross to finish the race in second place. Stjepan Pavicic greeted them all with a hug and his congratulations and there was time to open some ‘champagne’ and take a few photos to mark the occasion. The bottle proved difficult to open and wasn’t finished and later on Cyril Margarititis told me, “I come from the champagne region – and that was not champagne!”

US racer Jari Kirkland was keen to leave as fast as possible and headed down the hill ahead of her team mates, leaving her pack behind with one of the race photographers. (She’d been annoyed that she had to take it up in the first place!) Her three French team mates, two of whom were on the winning team last year, followed on more slowly. Bruno Rey was helped down the steps, treading gingerly on his sore feet and hadn’t enjoyed the finish to the race. “Stjepan does not think of the racer’s feet!” he said. “The last trek was too long and there is no real challenge in just going on and on with the same thing for days. Stages should be shorter and more technically challenging and tactical, and to finish on the stones on the beach was painful.”

He might have been describing expectations for a European race, not one in Patagonia, which was strange given he knew what to expect, having taken part last year.