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Friday, April 28, 2000 The introduction of the course is always a much-anticipated event. Teams have waited for over a year to finally receive maps, Raid books, find out what the course layout will entail and how long the race will be. Teams have known for months what disciplines they needed to learn or improve upon, and have obtained all the necessary gear to meet the requirements set by the organization to be able to perform safely and efficiently on the course. Now, at the briefing, the course is finally laid out, explained, and questions are answered. This is the first Raid Gauloises to allow Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to be used. But, it has been stated that finding your way is not what makes orienteering difficult, finding the right way is. The maps for this race will be 1/50.000 and 1/25.000 scale.
The race starts (CP1/Head Quarter(HQ) departure) in the Tibetan town of Shegar Dzong. It will start with a trek of only 3km, but at an altitude of 4310 meters. The trek will follow through a village and by a castle in the area. It is projected to take about two hours and lead the teams to the first mountain biking section of the race. This section will cover CP2 to CP5 and will be a total of 85km. This section will be very difficult because of the extreme vertical climb, 300 meters in the first 40km. The course will follow over stone and sandy paths and will test the teams physically. CP5 will be the team's first Assistance Point (AP), where teams will trade their five bikes for one horse and head up the mountain trekking route from CP5-CP10. This high mountain stretch will cover a total of 56km and reach the highest altitude of the race, at 5150 meters. Of this stretch, Gaimard said, "the horse will become your good friend....an important sixth member of the team." The horse can be used to carry gear or a tired or hurt competitor. This is a big help to the organization also, since helicopters cannot be used. The town of Yarle hosts CP10 and is also HQ1 of the Raid. It is a location for the media to be kept up to date with what is happening in the race and to arrange to get out on the course to personally experience what the athletes are feeling. This year, five guides, all former Raiders, are at the disposal of the press to arrange trips out onto the course. Some of these treks will involve overnight stays on the course and a chance to talk to the teams as they pass through. The mountain trek finishes at around 4300 meters and the teams will begin a 117km downhill mountain bike ride that will cross over the border from Tibet to Nepal. This part of the course poses its own unique set of problems: one, it is a downhill route, dropping from 4300 meters to 1500 meters, that involves a main road with traffic (driving is done on the left-hand side of the road); and second, an extremely dangerous track is cut into the side of the rock. Because of the danger of falls of over 500 meters and rockslides, the maximum speed between CP12 and CP15 will be 25 km/hour. Furthermore, CP12 to CP13 will be closed to the teams from 5pm to 5am. Teams finishing this part in less than one hour will be penalized five minutes for every one minute that they are early. The two border crossings pose another time constraint to the teams. The border of Tibet is at CP14 in the town of Zhangmu and 15km further is the Nepal border town of Kodari at CP16. Any delays that the teams incur at the borders, due to traffic, are just a part of the race and will be included in the total time. On top of that the borders are not open 24 hours a day, Tibet's is open from 9:30am-6pm China time (7:15am-3:45pm Nepalese time). The Nepal border is only open from 10am until 5pm. Teams not making it through these border crossings in time will be forced to spend the night out on the road until the borders open in the morning. Once in Nepal, the teams continue biking to CP17, where they will begin the first of four trekking sections. Trekking is the main mode of transportation in the area and the teams will pass through many villages and get a real feel of life in Nepal. CP17 to CP19 is a short 7km and will reunite the teams with their assistance crews. AP2/HQ2 is located in the middle at CP18. Another new addition to this year's race is Hydrospeed or whitewater swimming. Teams will travel 23km from CP19 to CP22. The water though it is warm, teams will still wear wetsuits with pads and a helmet for protection from rocks and boulders, and travel with the current using flippers and an unsinkable float, which will provide buoyancy and extra protection. The rapids range from Class II-IV, teams will need to scout some portions and walk around fishing dams set up by the locals. Also teams will not be able to navigate in the water at night, they can proceed on foot to the next CP and camp until 5:30am. Hot water and a plastic shade for cover will be provided by the Organization. CP22 is designated as AP2 bis. Full assistance by the support crew will not be available, but the crews will supply their teams with the required equipment for the upcoming trekking section. The next trekking section will be the longest of the treks at 86km and be a varied up and down climb that will lead to lower temperatures at the higher regions. CP22 to CP29 will reach a high altitude of 3149 meters to a low of 400 meters. The teams will travel through villages and see many of the area temples. It will be a very beautiful part of the Raid; as far as the scenery goes. CP29 outside the town of Manthall will be AP3/HQ3. This will be a time for the teams to get another change of gear and head back into the water. Whitewater canoeing will find the teams in Class II to III+ rapids. They will travel through CP29-CP32 and cover 120km on the water in two canoes. They will then switch over to one whitewater raft and continue another 110km. down the river past CP33 to CP34 in Class II to IV+ rapids and reach a low altitude of 150 meters. The river is bigger in these parts and the teams will have to take time to read the rapids correctly or risk flipping. The weather will be a factor as the temperatures continue to rise. But, the water is safe to drink here so the teams will need to take advantage so that they do not experience dehydration problems. The major problem after the rapids is the dark zone on the river. No teams are allowed to paddle on the river between the hours of 6:30pm and 5:30am and must camp on the banks at night. At CP34 the teams exit their rafts and cover a short 3km canyoneering route back to their rafts at CP36. This climb will travel 300-400 meters uphill and include 14 abseils of varying heights. This section also incorporates the same dark zone hours as on the river. The problem is that the possible camping sites are limited in space and comfort. After this little detour adventure the competitors will re-enter their rafts and continue for 50km on to CP37. At CP37 they leave their rafts, but must continue on foot for 25km. The path out of the river is easy to find, but there are many options for the teams to find CP38 and on to CP39 near the village of Siwaya. This CP will find the teams at AP4/HQ4, where they will be reunited with their mountain bikes. This section will travel along the southern part of Nepal and be very close to the border of India. Teams will bike on flat tracks of road and sand for a very long 138 km. The conditions, though not difficult to bike through, will prove to be tough because it will be extremely hot. The end is in range though as the teams pass CP40, CP41, CP42 and get off their bikes at CP43. To reach CP44, the athletes must trek the last 4km to the town of Janakpur and cross the finish line in the square in front of the Janaki Temple. It is projected that the top teams could reach the finish by as early as 8:30am on May 6th, the last arrival allowed on the course is set for 12am midnight on May 11th. The gift giving and awards ceremony is scheduled for Friday May 12th. —Provided by Raid Gauloises
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