 With such a mentally challenging stage in the morning, the teams were itching to get outside and enjoy the improving weather; so with bike helmets in hand, they set off towards Bellever Forest in Dartmoor National Park for the start of Stage Three.
Having collected an envelope with maps and stage details from the start wire, it was revealed that teams were required to visit four compulsory Check Points and collect as many Bonus Points as possible before Stage Three close time, some two and a half hours later. With the large distances involved and varying values of Bonus Points available, depending on the order they were visited, it meant teams would have to resist the urge to mount their bikes and sprint off on the course if they were to be successful in this strategically important stage.
The Charity team, feeling confident after good performances in the first two stages, were one of the first to devise a plan and don their helmets, before jumping on their bikes and heading off up the dirt tracks. They were closely followed by the rest of teams, the majority of who selected Check Point One at Bellever Tor, some 460 metres above sea level, as their first destination.
With the sun shining and spectacular scenery to enjoy on their routes, the teams were in a confident mood and after visiting the compulsory Check Points, they all set out to earn as much bonus time as possible. This often involved tough stretches of biking up steep muddy pathways to reach Bonus Points. As they grew more tired, the teams began to struggle and as the Stage Close Time drew nearer and the bike rack at the finish line remained empty, it became clear that many of the teams had underestimated the distances over the rolling moors. Indeed, by Stage Close Time only six teams, lead by Team Perenco, had completed the stage with a further six teams crossing the line within the Maximum Stage Time 15 minutes later. This meant that all the remaining teams, despite their desperate surges towards the finish line, had lost all their hard earned Bonus Points and instead incurred significant time penalties.
Sorrel Holmes of Team Nexen, one of the only teams not to have received time penalties said: “We were one of the last teams to leave, spending 15 minutes strategising which really paid off. We stuck rigorously to our plan and the fact that we have done so well in this challenge is an example of why making a clear plan and sticking to it is so important.”
At the close of day two, now more than half way through the BG Energy Challenge, the weary teams headed back to Plymouth University to find out their position on the leader board and to meet up with their Leaders who were waiting for them at base camp. The evening would bring a welcome rest and a chance to gather teams’ thoughts before the final day and push to the finish.
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