Andes Pacifico 2017 - Day Three

​A new morning begins and is about to start the third day of this great Andes Pacifico.

 

At the camp there was a lot of movement as the riders tear down their tents, pack their bags and leave everything ready to be taken to a new location at the end of the day.

After getting everything ready, the caravan drove the riders directly to the base of “Nido de Condores” where they pedal to the top to reach a vista with incredible view towards Santiago.

The first special “Santuario de la Naturaleza” was very long and was developed from a track that was used in the first edition of Andes Pacifico. A very good, rocky, and technical track that took the riders to the base of the Santuario de la Naturaleza.

Jerome Clementz opened the day with an undisputed stage win with a time of 15:21.63 followed by his compatriot Francois Bailly-Maitre with 15:35.97 and Chilean Pedro Ferreira in third with 15:45.58. Among the women, defending champion Tracy Moseley took the stage win with 18:19.69 followed closely by Casey Brown’s 18:48.22 and Emily Slaco in third with 19:21.98.

There were still four stages to tackle, so the trucks took the riders to a spot where they were treated to a good lunch with a spectacular views of the city.

There was not much time to rest because there were still a two hours drive by truck up the hill to reach the start of the second special stage. 

On top of the mountain at almost 2700 meters altitude, it was very cold so the riders prepared quickly to go down the famous special "Raja Motores" (Blown Engines), a fast slope with trails full of whoops made by motorcycles. 

In this second stage the table changed and it was the great Milciades Jaque who took a solid first place with 5:04.90, followed in second place by Mark Scott with 5:08.33 and in the third place Francois with 5:08.80. Tracy was unstoppable with a time of 5:47.98 followed by Casey with 6:06.51 and in third place the Chilean Florencia Espiñeira with 6:14.55.

The third stage, “Bumps” was a hard hit, a long and very fast trail. Some riders reached up to 70 km/hr. It also demanded technical pedaling, with whoops on the way.

Mark Scott took the first place on this stage with a time of 9:15.06 followed by Jerome with 9:22.12 and just a little further behind the Spaniard Iago Garay with 9:26.42. 

Tracy continued to impress with a time of 10:33.53 followed by Florence Espiñeira with 11:34.72 and in third Emily Slaco with 12:15.14.

The fourth stage “Moto” was much shorter. The track took the riders to the sector known as Shangrila via a trail full of pebbles and berms that arrives almost exactly at the starting point for the last stage.

The Chilean National Enduro Champ Guga Ortiz took the stage win with a time of 2:04.65 followed by his compatriot Milciades Jaque with 2:06.97 and in third place Cedric Gracia with 5 stiches in his shin and a time of 2:07.81. Tracy ahead as usual with 2:24.45 followed by Casey who managed to come back after her puncture in the previous stage with a time of 2:40.04. Finally in third place we saw Emily Slaco with 2:41.48.

The fifth and last stage “Peñon-Chicureo” was one of the most entertaining of the day and marked a tremendous close to the day. This track was also used in the first edition four years ago. It was pure enjoyment on this fast track with a mix of sandy curves and few rocks. This is where the classic hashtag and now Brand of Iago Garay #doyouevendriftbro was originally coined.

Chileans are doing good!! This time it was Pedro Ferreira who got the first place with a time of 7:13.11 followed by Jerome with a time of 7:19.17 and in third place Guga Ortiz with 7:21.36. Tracy clocked a time of 8:29.45 followed by Casey with 8:39.28 and third again Emily Slaco with 9:20.60.

The riders arrived exhausted but with a huge smile on their faces. Undoubtedly an intense and exhausting day but it was worth it especially because the Chilean army shone on this third day of the race.

Day Three Results (full day three results)

Men

  1. Jerome Clementz 39:21.21
  2. Mark Scott 39:55.71
  3. Gustavo Ortiz 40:00.31

Women

  1. Tracy Moseley 45:35.10
  2. Emily Slaco 50:09.13
  3. Florencia Espineira 50:41.68

2017 Andes Pacifico Day Three Standings (full standings)

Men

  1. Jerome Clementz 125:41.68
  2. Milciades Jaque 126:18.18
  3. François Bailly-Maître 127:00.09

Women

  1. Tracy Moseley 146:35.18
  2. Emily Slaco 159:43.31
  3. Florencia Espiñeira 161:03.26
Photos by Jonathan Junge
0 comments

The Latest