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Tuesday, April 25, 2000 The Elf Authentic Adventure is now spread across two states in the vast Nordeste region of Brazil, with all of the teams except leaders Pharmanex Spie still battling the difficult section of mountain biking from Tiangua to Faz Varzea on the muddy banks of the Rio Parnaiba. At Assistance 4, where teams will transition from bikes to sea kayaks to paddle down the river and eventually through its broad delta to the sea, Pharmanex Spie team members regrouped with their assistance crew, leading the race comfortably at this point, but well aware that the top teams will be hammering through the night in an attempt to catch them. Team Pharmanex Spie's Tim Grammar, aka "Rooster," no stranger to monumental tasks, said this was likely the hardest mountain bike ride he has undertaken, with a lot of water on the roads and trails, sandy sections, and prickly brush beside the singletrack sections.
One section required a portage where racers had to carry their bikes up a mountain for approximately 800-vertical meters. "Certainly an epic of a bike ride," said Grammar as he wolfed down a plate of food. "I'm actually looking forward to getting in the river." Perhaps uncharacteristically, the leaders took a break for five hours during the night but made it to Faz Varzea in 36 hours, arriving here at 5:30 after around 30 hours of actual riding time. Race Founder Gerard Fusil, who flew over the 175-kilometer section of course and stopped at several checkpoints throughout the day, said this may indeed be the most difficult part of the race. It is made harder because racers are carrying or pushing their bikes over many sections of the trail on already sore feet. Cathy Sassin, looking fresh considering what she and her team have been through, said that at one point, there was so much water on the route that they were carrying their bikes over their heads, walking waist deep down a stream running into a small village they were entering. Navigation was also tricky, with the outdated maps (produced more than 20 years ago) and a network of overgrown roads and trails to decipher. "Overall it was a very grueling experience," said Sassin, who also pointed out that the mud and sand is trashing their bikes. As of 7:20 this evening, the French team Fujifilm was in 2nd, having passed countrymen Team Paul Vatine, which is in 3rd. Isabelle Viandier of Vatine sustained injuries to her face today after a fall off her bike but was okay and summoned the strength to continue. Another French team, Airwave, was in 4th. All three of these teams had cleared checkpoint 23. —Elf Authentic Adventure Correspondent
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