Cover, Latest News, Races - February 15, 2016

Santa Cruz – Andes Pacifico – Day 5

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Diego Podesta working on Florencia Espiñeiro’s bike at 1:30 AM.

The calm before the storm. It is 7:00 AM and everyone is still sleeping.

Charging batteries and organizing our bags so the organitzation can bring them up to Matanza where the race finishes.

Milciades Jaque flying off that wood lip at the first stage, which was an old downhill track made by the locals.

All the stages were intense but short.

Here Nicolas Prudencio at the first stage called “El Peral”. He finished 6th.

Josefina Gardulski walking her way up to “El Bus”. She is a well known racer on this type of events. She even participated in the Dakar a couple years ago.

Tomas Baeza. In that exact moment we were at 35º outside and it wasn’t even mid day.

Cristian Gomez Ribba.

Santiago Perez accompained by Fernando Riquelme who tries to beat the heat with a t-shirt around his head.

This is my favorite place. These are the bikes from the media guys – Gary Perkin, Sven Martin, Sam Needham, Claudio Olguín and Pablo Mora.

Michael West from the US in Matanza. He placed 2nd behind Claus Plaut.

Florencia Espiñeira did an amazing job and finished 2nd, close to Tracy Moseley.

Full speed – Santiago Perez.

Absolute leader, Jerome could have won the event if he hadn’t had a flat tire on the second day.

Juan Hagn over the rocks.

Tracy won four out of the five days, you couldn’t tell that she wasn’t comfortable riding on this terrain. Great job.

Francois Bailly-Maitre about to finish the last stage of the day and win the 2016 Andes Pacifico.

Light in the woods.

This is where the finish lane was. Right in front of the Pacific Ocean.

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Francois about to know that he had won the event.

Francois never won any of the 5 days, but he kept riding at his best staying up front with consistency and hard work. That’s how you win this type of event. Congratulations Francois!

It has been a tough race/event, that’s for sure. Even for us, the photographers and media guys that have to cover all the action. But looking at this sunset makes me feel happy. I pedalled a lot, slept about 5h per day, and my body is beat, but I don’t regret anything. This has been my 3rd Andes Pacifico and I can’t wait for next year. – Claudio.