DAY 3 <-> DAY 1
Who would have bet on such a fast start to the spring season? Who would have bet that on the evening of day 2, young Jack Butler would be leading the group, having covered 604 km in 1.5 days?
That’s the magic of the Sun Trip adventure, as the perfect weather pushed the group to work miracles from the very first kilometers of this 2024 edition. If no one dared to take the mountainous shortcut through the Massif Central (which would have saved a hundred kms), some went on to see the Pont du Gard, others the Mediterranean, but most just went for the fastest!
Fatigue seems to be well underway for most of the participants, giving them time to recover from the emotions of the start and get into the swing of things. Only Switzerland’s Vivien Dettwiler tells us (in the survey we give to participants every evening) that things are going well: “I took a few breaks today and even had a little nap at lunchtime“.
Others are worried about the mechanics, like the Czechs Michael and Jiri, affected by problems with the solar panels: “Jirka and I both have problems with solar charging. My problem was major – I charge the battery directly now, not via the BMS input. Probably a damaged cable or a burnt BMS (?)”
For Belgium’s Herman Segers, it was a battery problem that kept him stranded in Bézier for some time, while he found a solution to recover his old battery, which he had left, to save weight, in the hotel he had stayed at the day before, 190km further north!
But the technical event of the day came at 3 p.m., when Jean-Marc Dubouloz took a suspicious break. At around 5 p.m. Jack Butler took advantage of this to move into the lead, and at 6.17 p.m. the reigning champion announced his technical breakdown on the participants’ WhatsApp group:
Jean-Marc hit the road again at 7am on April 14, leaving his young English competitor Jack Butler 80km ahead, and the young German competitors Kilian & Jonas back on his level. For Jack, who had already taken part in 2018, it was a remarkable turn of events, as he found himself leading a major Sun Trip for the first time. “This is my chance, I’m going to give it my all this Sunday to cross the Pyrenees in the lead and try to put the pressure on Jean-Marc!” he told us in a private message. We’re sharing here the video of Jack’s day, where he expresses all the emotions he felt on a day when he rode 352 km!
There’s still a long way to go, and at this stage the majority of participants think that Jean-Marc Dubouloz is still the clear favorite, with his velomobile. But the youngsters showed their teeth on this second day, and Jean-Marc won’t be allowed to make too many mistakes over the next 7,500 km!
For the rest of the group, the main concern is the weather forecast for the South West of France from Monday… The sunshine in the Pyrenees will only be for the leaders today,” they say, “as it’s likely to turn into chaos behind them! For Patric Plozner, the analysis is clear: “If the weather forecasts are right, those who don’t load up beforehand will stay at the foot of the pass until Thursday! For Vincent Gallego, the objective is simple: “toreach the foot of the pass with a full battery“, and for Vincent Lauga, “it’ll be an adventure, with less sunburn than today!
Race positions on April 13th morning
1.Jack Butler (with already 604 km done)
2. Jean-Marc Dubouloz
3. Kilian & Jonas
4. Géry & Baudouin
5. Vivien Dettwiller
To follow live : suntrip.sollow.live/maroc-2024/
Anecdotes of the day :
Goudenhooft bertrand: “1st small pedal sensor failure repaired with a plastic collar”.
Vincent Lauga-LPO: “Nice evening after the trouble of finding a campsite: invitation to have a beer at the bistro-vinaigrette… and free room”.
Vivien Dettwiler: “I tried to enter the campsite late. The detector didn’t work because my light vehicle is too light for that”.
Luciano Trümpler: “We missed a cycle path and mistakenly went a few metres down a fast street, blocked the way for cars and all the motorists were shouting at us! It’s lucky I don’t understand the French language”.
Jack Butler: “It‘s the second day of the 2024 suntrip and I’ve already beaten my 2018 record of 312 km! I’m very happy”
Richard DEFAY: “Approached by a Christophe cyclist and active locally for this cause. Immediately grasped the ST, I had the right selfi with him for the networks as he said me who does everything not to leave a trace … good the shock buns were good!”
Lucaci Arnold (out of the race) : “Very beautiful weather I passed valence going to Barcelona maybe from there I take ferry to maroc or I meet with the rest in Gibraltar I don’t know yet I’ve made yesterday 110 km very happy”
More pics :
WhatsApp Channel
A new opportunity to follow this 5th edition from the inside, with information from the organization and reactions from the participants (who will be the only ones able to publish on this channel).
Follow us on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaV5owT9hXF7Yajl8C00
