Start: La Parva

Food Station: Corral Quemado Camino a Farellones

Camp: Santuario de la Naturaleza, El Arrayan

Special stage: 22.76km distance/-3666m descending

Liaison stages: 17.05km distance/1608m uphill

Whilst you are in an area surrounded by twenty thousand footers (Aconcagua hits nearly 23,000ft) the race begins at a more modest 12,000, still you feel it. From the summit I believed Brayton had a good feeling of what was needed but was wary that his throttle control and downhill genetic might have an impact, he would also have to adapt very quickly to terrain he had no experience of. The helicopter circled the Kestrel as he launched into stage one.

Riding at the front with camera pack I knew of the dangers ahead that the riders would encounter as the weight of the bag accentuated weight transfer and gave an idea of what they would face. It quickly became obvious that any pressure on the front wheel would be punished, that the loose cinder offered nothing in terms of traction and could not be trusted for any kind of support whatsoever. Stage one was pretty much like that from the start and having seen someone on the deck on average every three minutes I knew the odds would be stacked against a man built for charging.

It came as little surprise then that when the Hope rider came into sight through the viewfinder that he was sans peak, slightly bent out of shape and lacking fluidity at around the fifteen minute mark. In short he was a shadow of the man I had put on the plane in London. As he past me I thought ‘learning curve’ and watch out stage three. On which he duly delivered a more shapely performance, yet still outside the top ten.

The lunch stop at the base of Yerba Loca valley was more than welcome but from here riders had a transfer in 42º heat on the San Francisco road that accesses one of Chile’s biggest copper mines, before heading east to the final stage of the day. A couple of prostitutes hung around some beaten up cars on the side of the road servicing the quarry but all I can say is the climb out of SFO valley was a big one and that the descent through valley of the condors will become one of the tour’s iconic for sure. Arriving at 6pm to a food tent brimming with curry and all the trimmings had never been so welcome.

Classification

1. Jerome Clementz 8.10    14.08 6.42    16.29  45.29

2. Nico Prudencio    8.27    14.40  6.36    16.40  46.23

3. Francois Bailly-Maitre     8.37    14.56  6.55    16.59  47.27

23. Adam Brayton    13.48  16.07  7.29    19.02  56.26

Women

1. Anka Martin          11.07  18.24  9.30    21.11  58.12

Start: Santuario de la Naturaleza El Arrayan

Food Station: Shangri–La

Finish: Chicureo

Camp: Olmue

Special stage: 20.5km distance/-2719m descending

Liaison stages: 19.72km distance/1611m uphill

Up at dawn and on the hill soon after, a big pick–up drive took us to a col that changed the game. If day one had concluded with a classic sixteen minute descent, the beginning of two reminded riders this was enduro not downhill. Wide, wild and handsome, the headbanger of a stage was one of the longest taking leader Jerome Clementz over 21minutes to complete. Brayton showed his mettle here by posting a solid top ten, but it was still two and a half minutes behind the Frenchman. On stages such as this looking ahead becomes much more important, you have to use your head too and scanning the track ahead and in front at the same time tests spatial awareness to the maximum.

This was definitely a big day in the mountains and as I rolled into the finish at around seven in the evening the Santa Cruz boys and John Cancellier from SRAM were munching crisps and water. One of the crazy things about this event was its proximity to the urban fringes of Santiago. One minute crunching through volcanic cinder in the middle of nowhere the next I found myself in a shopping mal munching a burger and chips. Knowing we had no chance of making camp by midnight Will Ockleton (Santa Cruz) sharply arranged for about seven of us to take a shower in a local gymnasium before we did the transfer to the seaward mountain range eating an ice cream. This was certainly one of the trip’s bizarre moments. Adam finished the day just out of the top ten but four minutes back. He seemed to be keeping his head down.

Classification

1. Jerome Clementz 21.27  8.11    7.13    36.51

2. Chris Johnston    22.10  8.31    7.37    38.18

3. Francois Bailly Maitre     21.45  9.02    7.42    38.29

11. Adam Brayton    23.51  9.05    8.08    41.04

Women

1. Anka Martin          28.45 11.05 9.56 49.46