Prologue
March 20, 2019Prologue
"Goodbye Brahim, thank you for your welcome and see you soon!" It is 11:30 a.m., the track is there, just in front of the Kasbah, the one that leads us to our first bivouac in Nejjakh. So we leave the road to quickly reach the bivouac. Just before it enters via the red flame route, we collect all the cards for the next 9 days.
I then discover the bivouac, its structure and its organization. Barely time to settle down and no time to hang around: 12:30 p.m., official photo, 1:15 p.m. briefing, 2 p.m. start of the prologue. We will be online 15 F.
After having put our points, put on our helmets and buckled our seat belts (we don't joke about safety, otherwise it's a penalty): let's go! Thanks to Véro, I even thought of taking some landmarks (and I assure you that they will be useful!).
Departure for 45 km and 3 beacons to find. But after a few laps: “Look at Vero, camel grass!!! And there a tanked crew...and another...and yet another...nope, that's organizations! Well, I suggest that for today we work on the postponement of CAP...".
We therefore bypass this first obstacle and find our first beacon. The others will follow and all the prologue beacons are found.Result: we take 18th place for tomorrow's start.
On the finish line, our last link with our families flies away...after a last call, we turn off our phones and place them in sealed envelopes, We won't find them for another 9 days.
Back at the bivouac, I take my marks, Véro, she knows the maneuver well and it's so reassuring!
So here it is, this bivouac: closed park, mechanical area, sleeping area, toilets and showers, bar (if so even that...), medical tent, media tent (this is where we will be happy to discover your messages to our venue) and the central area: the restaurant tent. Central, yes, because that's where we will take our meals of course, but also put our points, listen to the briefing at 6am in the morning and meet our galley friends in the evening.
This first day of prologue is over, the fatigue of the preparations gives way to pleasure and excitement and that of the tests is not yet there.
We are benefitting ! But what have they prepared for us tomorrow?
