Today was definitely not an easy day for the participants of Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge. After running to the bikes (which they’d left behind yesterday) they had to cycle up Abu Dhabi’s highest mountain, Jebel Hafeet. But this was just the start. Afterwards followed hours of climbing,in places helped by ropes, first to the bottom of the mountain, then up again. The whole time moving over sharp, loose rocks that did their best to tear to shreds their fine new racing clothes.

The team lost time on the downhill bits and is now in 17th place overall after the first two days (total time 11:44:09). It’s an hour up to 10th position, but it’s still early days in the competition and an hour is as nothing in the desert…

“It was a relatively easy opening day”, said Bjørn Håvard after todays exertions. “..but it was high speed”, he had to admit. 

The team finished in tenth place after the prologue, but had improved that to ninth place by the end of the day.

There were piles of equipment outside Hotel Rontana in Abu Dhabi today. 50 teams brought out their equipment to be checked by the organisers. Clothes were tagged and the obligatory supply of medicines (enough to supply a small chemist shop) was carefully scrutinised. Perhaps most interesting for onlookers was the foot check (for an extra study and just for two team members). The sweet, soft soles of the feet were photographed… I wonder what they are going to look like after 120 km of desert sand?!