MdS - Well would you believe it!

The journey out to Morocco was fairly uneventful. I'd been joking with many of the competitors that I was bringing the Manchester weather with me and it would rain. Our journey to the first bivovac took an age and it started to rain! As the journey went on the rain increased. by the time we got to the bivovac the french organisers didn't know what to do. One group where sent the final leg across the sands via army trucks. My coach eventually gave up waiting and in the now torrential downpour that even even the British weather would be proud of took us to a nearby town.

The reports from the front line were bad. The campsite was flooded, coaches were stuck by flooded roads, and there was no plan B! 11 hours after we originall boarded the coaches the organisers managed to find a hotel to put us in. The first stage has now been cancelled and a new plan is being looked at. To top it off my mobile is now out of action due to SIM card issues! They apparently last had rain during the MdS 11 years ago... for 30 minutes! The course is now a mess as parts where along dried up river beds as usual.

Spirits around the camp are hard to describe. Immense disappointment is obviously there. This has been a 2 year build up. There is also a lot of laughter though at the ridculouseness of the situation. There is hope the race will continue from stage two, but in what format I don't know.

Not sure when I'll get to post again as who knows if the organisers email equipment is working. The main thing is everyone is safe, which set against pictures on the local news of locals less fortunate then us means we have a lot to be thankful of, plus I won my pint bet with Sharky about the rain, so it's not all bad!

Cheers

Andy