J186 – 6/21/2006

This morning at 6H30 we were all together having a copious and varied breakfast, something we hadn’t done for several months.

At 7H25, good-byes were said in front of the Shaaxi TV cameras and the CCTV team, who arrived yesterday and will follow us for a few days.  After a mistake in direction and 20 minutes lost we were on our way out of Xian to meet road 101 at marker 16, where Serge stopped yesterday.  The sky was full of clouds and after a few minutes of running a steady and penetrating drizzle started: the humidity was 65%.  The vegetation around us is lush.  We are still surrounded by mountains and will continue on hilly terrain: the 20th kilometer = 500 meters of altitude, the 63rd kilometer = 1253 meters and there is a 1,700 meter tunnel to go through.  We were back on our famous highway 312 at the 23rd kilometer.

An accident stopped the vehicles for more than an hour and Serge continued on his way, accompanied by Mr. Fang, a Chinese runner who had come to run with him for a few days.  He did 2/3 of the stage with Sergio.  Mr. Fang is over 50 and is call “the old man.”  I’m not sure Serge would like that nickname!

Serge had another fall, of no importance: just skinned hands and shoulder — more fear than injury.  What stress!

Without wanting to be nasty, it’s the first day on the Trans-Erasia of two Bretons (Thomas and Stéphanie) and two Normans (Max and Tom) and boom, it was a day of nonstop rain.  Can there be cause and effect?

The newcomers are real novices, a bit stressed but not too much.  They applied themselves to getting used to the 4-wheel drive and to preparing the feedings.  It always takes a few days to be on top of the situation especially because jet lag doesn’t make things easy.  As soon as they arrived, they were in the midst of the action.

No fewer than six vehicles are following Serge and Fang on this mountain road, which is at the limit of being dangerous.  Luckily, for once, there are stopping areas which permit safe halts.

The end of the stage was grandiose: Tom and Stephanie finished the stage with Serge, telling him that the camp was located at marker 1386.  At marker 1394 Serge said he could get to the camp alone.

I was surprised to see Serge finish 8 kilometers alone and do more than 80 kilometers.  Yes, there was a mistake: Serge thought he would find the camp at marker 1390 and was very surprised not to see us, night was beginning to fall…….

It was a well filled day for everybody and long live summer!

One Thomas is replacing another Thomas to take photos