31/03/09 – Stage 2 -
Erg Znaïgui/Erg Znaïgui : 36 km
Conditions at 8.45am: 15,8?C and 38% hygrometry
Conditions at 10am : 20,7?C and 37% hygrometry
Conditions at 12.15pm : 24?C and 18% hygrometry
6 retirements at 12.15pm
2nd stage Men ranking
- Aziz El Akad (3-Morocco) : 2h41m17s
- Salameh Al Aqrah (357-Jord) 2h45m48s
- Lahcen Ahansal (1-Morocco) : 2h49m17s
- Mohamad Ahansal (2-Morocco) : 2h50m30
- 5.Michael Wardian (870-USA) 2h52m36s
2nd stage Women ranking
- . Touda Didi (265- Morocco) : 3h54min9s
General ranking stage 2
Men
- Aziz El Akad (3-Morocco) : 5h15m54s
- Salameh Al Aqrah (357-Jord) : 7m21s (time difference with top runner)
- Mohamad Ahansal (2-Morocco) : 8m41s (time difference with top runner)
- Lahcen Ahansal (1-Morocco) : 8m44s (time difference with top runner)
A surprising stage today, done with at infernal speed. Dunes, stones and wind were excepted, but coldness and wind have been the last stage's guests. Lead by the Jordanian Salameh Al Aqrah and the Moroccan Aziz El Akad's paces - second and third rankings respectively last year, the race was really testing for the stretched bunch of runners at the foot of the spectacular Jebel El Begra. An amazing duel, worthy of the best Western movies.
Up to the second check point, the two leaders were on each other's heels, cooling down their rivals' enthousiasm. Thanks to an impressive final sprint, the Moroccan Aziz El Akad left his challenger way behind, seizing the 1st place of the general ranking. He seemed really confident at the finishing line regarding his 1st place this year, ? private proptery ? of the Ahansal family for 13 years. Despite his tough end of stage, the Jordanian shares exactly the same ambitions and expects a lot about tomorrow's heat. 7 minutes behind the leader in the general ranking is actually not an insuperable obstacle...
Exhausting race for the Ahansal' brothers : Mohamad suffered of digestive confusions, obliging his body to have a short break during this stage. His brother Lahcen was weak as well on the finishing line, apparently destabilized by the other competitors' ardour. Totalising more than 8 minutes difference with the top leader, this is an unforeseen situation for them. Temporarily lapse of end of kingdom ? Anwser tomorrow during the longest and mythical stage...
The Moroccan Touda Didi keeps shining in this competition, reaching the finishing line on the 1st position. Unless something drastic happens, she should keep the lead all through the week with a well deserved title.
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