Mud and Gravel All the Way
The rain-saturated course gave way to mud in many places, especially the riverbanks, which were caked in several inches of soft, greasy mud. Teams had to wade through it to get to their bikes and on the way to Transition Area 2. The ensuing bike stage contained an embedded trek loop that many teams decided to skip due to strategy or simply feeling too cold. Temperatures hovered in the low 40s, while persistent driving wind and rain continued to pelt the course and the teams. An embedded trek loop provided an early orienteering challenge and a preview of what teams could expect on the larger land navigation sections later to come.
