The Dirt - Adventure Racing according to Robyn Benincasa
presented by Merrell - Wigwam

Yesterday was huge for Merrell/Wigwam. They took the lead and held it in strong fashion. I saw them come off the water and then again several hours later at the rope climb in Hell Roaring Canyon. They said they were cruising...just going at their own pace such as it is.

Nike showed up at the climb sight exactly 2 hours behind Merrell/Wigwam and took exactly the same amount of time to get up the ropes. Both Nike and Merrell/Wigwam were in good spirits and for the most part so were the rest of the lead teams.

Danelle Ballangee of Team Spyder is having a blister problem. She required a little field surgery at cp 17. She may be feeling pain but you wouldn't know it to look at her, she's very tough.

Now the lead teams are on bikes, this is Nikes' forte...they are arguably the best bikers in the race. Neil Jones and Ian Edmond are sharing navigation duties and it looks as though this technique is really paying off. The team has made some great navigational decisions over the past few days.

All in all it's a good situation but the race is still far from over, and they probably haven't picked up the sense of urgency that comes when the end of the race is near. Staying calm and cool when in the lead is key to staying in the lead.