what time it started but there are little blue dots scattered about the Leg 1 Live Tracking display -> http://vulcain.iritrack.net/tdcom/eviewer/qatar2013/ Edit: The trackers seem to be updating very infrequently. Looks like PAU, Speedy and QC (maybe others?) are stopped at a CP.
Yup, QC arrived at the CP shortly before the leaders departed and has been falling further behind. Bike problem, I'm thinking, but assuming DSS was at 0800 (can't find anything but the Live Tracking display) I have no idea what happened until I tuned in at ~0915 but QC was not as far off the pace then as he is now. (I also have not seen a tracker for Tony so dunno whether or not we over-assumed re his Speedbrain contest win.)
Salvatierra is running with Quinn now it seems, in about 6 or 7th spot. Dont know his starting position so it still could be good overall. I think Tony is on his way back if Facebook memory serves me right...
At the most recent tracker update, I see QC in 11th place, some 20mi behind Salvatierra who's near Al-Balooshi and Al-Kitbe (quad). I also don't know what the starting order was but his tracker speed has been way low ever since I first started checking and he's falling further behind. I certainly hope it's a bike problem rather than injury.
This thread needs more photos! Looking forward a few shots from the first day today - let's see how radical that new design KTM is! (or are they still using the current version?) Jx
I see Coma forged to the front and they are all riding together now - wonder who is navigating Finished now, so who was navigating?
Looks like Chaleco was the one leading the way into CP one and then the top five promptly latched onto each other and rode together all the way to the finish and finished within seconds of each other. Yawn!
QC continues to move steadily to the finish but he is only moving about 25-50 mph. Will be interesting to hear the story.
So, with 12 mins separating the top 5 and 2 min starting intervals, its pretty much wide open - Coma starts tomorrow and will be caught, but I suspect that over the 4 days he will just about have his calculations right, but if he now wins the stage on day 3 also he will be leading out on the last day! Sam managed it the other week - so the pressure is on him (sort of)
I never could tell who was opening trail. The lead group (Coma, PAU, Speedy, & Chaleco) trackers were usually in a clump with Kuba not far behind and he caught up near end of stage. Just found this and although the times do not seem correct to me, for what it's worth:
Yep - turns into a training ride in the sand and ultimately down to a few seconds here and there much like the other week the key factor will be if the first off can acutally hold or even extend the lead
Start times - go here http://vulcain.iritrack.net/tdcom/posi/qatar2013/web/index.php/display/index//pstart/1
AHA! That's what I was looking for and never could find! Edit: OK, got it - FINALLY! The big-ass chart was start times for the laiason to DSS. Tuning in 2 1/2 hrs after the actual start left me in the dust.