It was pitch darkish exterior when Adrien Lhermet, Benjamin Fayet, Sandrine Beranger, and Sébastien Raichon crossed the Journey Race World Championship end line at 4 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3. The French athletes of 400 Crew had been muddy. They hadn’t slept in 5 days. However they nonetheless had sufficient power to have a good time for the cameras, embracing each other and waving France’s flag triumphantly.
They’d not solely gained the title of Journey Racing World Champions, however they’d additionally dethroned the two-time title holders, the Swedish Armed Forces Journey Crew. 400 Crew set off from the ultimate transition level 13 minutes in entrance of the Swedish workforce for the final 68.4-mile mountain bike experience.
The 400 Crew beat the Swedes by 2 hours and 10 minutes, ending the 348-mile course in 90 hours, 47 minutes, and 15 seconds. Based on ARWS, the 400 Crew is the primary French workforce to win a world championship since 2013. This was the 400 Crew’s thirtieth ARWS race.
“On my bike, I couldn’t cease crying,” Raichon, the 400 Crew captain, mentioned in a press launch. “The feelings had been overwhelming.”
In third place, Estonian Tactical Foodpack completed in 93 hours, 52 minutes, and 30 seconds. In fourth place, Brazil Multisport completed in 97 hours, 47 minutes, and 30 seconds.
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As of this writing, many groups are nonetheless racing. You possibly can try the total outcomes and observe those that haven’t completed but on the ARWS monitoring webpage.
‘One of many Most Thrilling Finishes in Current Years’
The ARWS World Championship race began on Saturday. Athletes have needed to paddle alongside rivers, trek by way of forests and mountains, and mountain bike in numerous sections utilizing solely a paper map and compass to navigate from checkpoint to checkpoint. At one level, there was even a caving and climbing part on the historic Inca website of Cojitambo.
When GearJunkie coated the race on Dec. 2, the Swedish Armed Forces Journey Crew was in third, and the sudden Estonian Tactical Foodpack workforce was holding robust in second place. Nevertheless, throughout the night time, the Estonian workforce fell behind, and the Swedish Armed Forces Crew pulled forward.
“The ultimate checkpoints had been within the metropolis of Cuenca and each groups had been misplaced within the maze of streets,” An ARWS spokesperson advised GearJunkie. They known as it some of the thrilling finishes in recent times.
Should you’d wish to see highlights from the race, try the ARWS YouTube web page for recaps of every day. The race will proceed by way of Saturday, Dec. 7, at which level ARWS will publish all the outcomes on its web site.
