Skrevet av: Niels Westphal
Dato: 10.03.2015 07:36
The speed between Neiden 1 and Kirkenes has varied considerably among the first 16-17 teams. Harald Tunheim, who was one of few who chose to postpone his 16-hour mandatory rest until Kirkenes, felt the consequences. The speed of his team decreased with 2 km/h compared to the previous leg. He used 6,5 hours between Neiden 1 and Kirkenes.
Harald Tunheim on his way in to Kirkenes last night. Photo:Dmitry Sharomov
Steinar Kristensen, who also delayed the mandatory 16-hour rest, seems to have been able to maintain good speed and used 25 minutes less than Tunheim coming in to Kirkenes. Bernd Helmich is probably relieved to have his long rest in Kirkenes. His speed was slower than that of Harald Tunheim, and has the highest leg time between Neiden 1 and Kirkenes after 17 mushers have arrived.
Brennodden in a rush
Kjell Brennodden’s team, which rested 16 hours at Neiden 1, seems to have gotten a boost after the long rest. The 14 dogs covered the 75 km to Kirkenes in less than five hours, with an average speed of 15.9 km/h, and thus climbed to the fifth position in the race.
Kjell Brennodden with good speed. Photo: Anna Riebelova
Another musher who has struggled with the time last night, is Yngve Fagerli. He took out his 16-hour rest in Tana, and picked up speed on his way to Neiden 1, but he seems to have had a slightly rougher stretch to Kirkenes, as he was passed by several other teams during the late night and early morning hours. Coming into Kirkenes, he is in the 10th place.
In general, the speed varies quite a lot between the different teams. You can keep track of how the race develops here