July 5 (Fourth Day)
ETAP-4
Choir - Saynshand
518.35km
The temperature is nearly 43 degrees C under direct sunlight. The riders ride towards the Gobi Desert in full throttle. The Mongolian riders depend on their senses while the Japanese riders depend on the Global Positioning System (GPS),
a car-mounted computer. The skill of the Mongolian riders become more prominent as the conditions become worse. They only carry a wrist watch and a canteen besides the route map. The leading group steadily climb the dunes, kicking off sand into the air.
Even if the leading group reaches the goal, most of the riders are out there in the desert fighting the hot weather and the sand. Some riders sink into the sand while others go off course and run out of fuel.
More than 20 riders spent the night in the open today.
|
