PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE 2006
Winter Edition

Current time stage 5° - MTB - Mountain Trekking - MTB
Place	stage time	Team
1º	3:50:07	1-LIDER /Al AIRE LIBRE
2º	3:59:56	10-TURISMO RUNNER-ROCKFORD
3º	4:47:30	7-ARMADA de CHILE
4º	4:54:20	6-GNC
5º	5:01:25	3-TUTRAVESIA INDÓMITA
6º	5:03:10	2-QUETRO
7º	5:28:24	4-INACAP-BUFETE INDUSTRIAL
8º	6:45:06	5-SOIJEN

Monday, June 26th 2006

Last day of the race! Weather conditions remain favorable, again a sunny day... cold, cloudless and windless, with only a bit of low fog over the lake.

Up to this point 5 stages of the race have already been completed, and throughout the first places have been shared by teams 1-LIDER /Al AIRE LIBRE, 6-GNC, 10-TURISMO RUNNER-ROCKFORD, 7-ARMADA de CHILE and 3-TUTRAVESIA INDÓMITA. The first three have been disputing the lead in almost all prior stages. Team 1- LIDER /Al AIRE LIBRE; Ruben Mandure and Veronica Bravo have won three stages, team 6-GNC; Víctor González and Diego Banfi del Río have won two and team 10- TURISMO RUNNER-ROCKFORD have maintained second and third places everyday.
Yesterday the big surprise was given by team 7-ARMADA de CHILE; Luis Covarrubias and Daniel Rivas by making third place of that stage.

Today’s stage, sixth and last of this first edition of Winter PER, begins with MTB through wintery road conditions, ascending towards the Genskowski Pass at 700 mts in altitude. The route goes through sub Antarctic along a winding frozen road that curves up to a level of 600 mts. The leaders of this section are team 10-TURISMO RUNNER-ROCKFORD followed by 6-GNC and 1-LIDER /Al AIRE LIBRE. We must thank the disposition of the MOP and CMT (Military Work Group of Vicuña – Yendegaia), that works on road construction in these cold latitudes and have allowed our safe passage on these roads that are still under construction.

The day continues with a 20 kilometer kayak in Lago Deseado, where some penalizations had to be made; 2-QUETRO was given an extra hour for not taking the mandatory trekking equipment in their kayaks and team 1-LIDER /Al AIRE LIBRE is penalized an hour for insulting a PC official on the other side of Lago Deseado when asked for their race passport.

At the transition between kayaks and Trekking, the organization offers a warm soup to racers in thermos. Most teams have left dry clothes to change into after this wet and gruelingly cold paddle. They also left extra food to help prepare for the final trekking that begins after this last kayak stage. Team 10-TURISMO RUNNER-ROCKFORD, captained by the experienced Juan Valdes, is the first to start this trekking section, taking enough time to change, eat and pack food provisions for the next hours walking through the snow. Very close behind is team 1-LIDER /Al AIRE LIBRE. They waste no time in the transition and continue to the trekking section with their wet clothes, with neither gators nor rainproof pants, both which are mandatory equipment that they decided not to wear. *Team 5- Soijen arrives after the PC cut off time from the kayak section and is disqualified from continuing to the trekking.

This last section is also a small circuit, trekking from Lago Deseado to a spot about 7 kilometers further west of frozen Lago Despreciado, from which point they must make their way back around to the camp on Lago Deseado, completing a total of 14 kilometers. The first phase is along the south sector of the valley and the way back is by the northern sector, connecting to a vehicle road.

Here some penalizations are also made; 1-LIDER /Al AIRE LIBRE and 4-INACAP-BUFETE INDUSTRIAL are given an hour each for being assisted in order to finish this last trekking stage.
1-LIDER /Al AIRE LIBRE had serious problems with the bitter cold due to not wearing the mandatory gear and 4-INACAP-BUFETE INDUSTRIAL had some orienteering difficulties.

The results of the final stage of the first edition of the WINTER PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE are as follows:

Current time stage 6° - MTB - Kayak - Trekking
Place	stage time	Team
1º	8:33:20	10-TURISMO RUNNER-ROCKFORD
2º	8:42:20	7-ARMADA de CHILE
3º	9:19:30	6-GNC
4º	9:20:12	3-TUTRAVESIA INDÓMITA
5º	9:25:00	2-QUETRO
6º	9:56:17	1-LIDER /Al AIRE LIBRE
7º	12:03:16	4-INACAP-BUFETE INDUSTRIAL
8º	15:00:00*	5-SOIJEN disqualified

Team 10-TURISMO RUNNER-ROCKFORD; formed by Juan Carlos Valdes and Manuel Mena, after being in second or third place in each previous stage, are in first place this time, taking a considerable lead from the other two teams disputing the final classification; teams 6-GNC and 1-LIDER /Al AIRE LIBRE. This new advantage has positioned them for the best final score and to make history winning the first edition of the PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE 2006 WINTER EDITION …
A self critique made by Juan Carlos Valdes was “I didn’t wear my leggings during this stage as I always do in previous stages in this race”.

As they did yesterday, team 7-ARMADA de CHILE surprised us all taking second place in this final stage, fewer than 10 minutes behind the leader. The last team back to the finish line was team 4-INACAP-BUFETE INDUSTRIAL. Even though they were exposed to very low temperatures for much longer than the rest of the teams, both team members made it back safely with no issues caused by the cold. They claimed they were actually hot due to the physical activity and warm clothes they had chosen to face this last section of the race.

Tuesday, June 27th 2006

Early in the morning the organization begins breaking down this last PC at Lago Deseado to commence the trip back to the city of Punta Arenas. The convoy of vehicles boards the Barcaza Crux Australis in Bahai Chilota for the crossing of the Magellan Strait.

Once back on the continent the organization transported Verónica Bravo of team 1-LIDER /Al AIRE LIBRE to the Punta Arenas Hospital to continue with the treatment on her frostbitten feet… Veronica, we all wish you a fast recovery!!!.
We must commend the comradeship shown by racers and people from the organization and race media that have been visiting and supporting her while in recovery.

At night the closing ceremony was held at the Hotel José Nogueira. Team members have expressed their admiration for the spectacular landscapes shown on a screen in the background to celebrate the first winter edition of the PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE. Additionally, they have congratulated the organization for this new format of winter expedition races. Some photographers have admitted to have taken some of the best photos of their lives. Warm speeches and great comments from some team members towards Veronica Bravo, who is still in recovery. Finally, everyone who took part in this new adventure sincerely thanked the companies and institutions that have supported this event and new cycle of races in any/everyway.

And the final scores are…

PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE WINTER edition
Place	total time	Team
1º	28:57:18	10-TURISMO RUNNER-ROCKFORD
2º	29:42:23	6-GNC
3º	30:42:05	1-LIDER /Al AIRE LIBRE
4º	32:13:53	3-TUTRAVESIA INDÓMITA
5º	32:28:18	7-ARMADA de CHILE
6º	33:51:15	2-QUETRO
7º	37:33:04	4-INACAP-BUFETE INDUSTRIAL
8º	42:27:59	5-SOIJEN disqualified at stage 6

The first winter edition of the PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE has come to an end; all we have left to do is to thank each and every racer that was up for test of this major sporting challenge.

We thank the invaluable support and contributions from all companies and institutions that supported the winter edition of the PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE.

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Previous days

Sunday June 18th 2006, Punta Arenas, Southern Patagonia / Chile, The Organization has welcomed the racers that will participate in the first winter edition of the Patagonia Expedition Race.

Monday, June 19th 2006 Due to a number of reasons, the organization, racers and press have all been transported to the city of Puerto Natales; the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park. The town's tourism community has organized all sorts of support in record time to sponsor the first winter Patagonian Expedition Race.

At 15:00 hrs. In Puerto Natales and in the presence of the Armada de Chile, teams showed their skills during the technical examination of expedition kayaks. The tests were assisted by a speedboat owned by Onas Patagonia. At nightfall the reception and opening ceremony was held at the Restaurante El Maritimo. The event was also supported by Patagonia Activa.

The teams, press and organization were all accommodated at: Hostal Niko’s, Lodge Acuaterra, Hotel Glaciares and Hostal Alcazar.

Tuesday, June 20th 2006 In the morning the organization checked each team's mandatory equipment and gave a technical safety speech. An emergency kit was provided to each team, including a Sat phone, GPS and a VHF radio.

In the afternoon we moved on to Lodge Cerro Guido. This is the second year they supported the Patagonian Expedition Race. The lodge is located in an old Estancia in the middle of steppe fields and pampas with a privileged view of the Paine Massif. Transportation was provided by TOUR EXPRESS and Transportes Niko’s .
After the supper offered by Lodge Cerro Guido, teams, journalists, staff and officials gathered for the unveiling of the route of the first stage of the PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE 2006 WINTER EDITION.