Richard USSHER, Elina USSHER, Nathan FA'AVAE and Marcel HAGENER once again dominated the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge from start to finish, winning every stage in the race for the first time ever with an overall race time of 45h44’47” Whether it was negotiating the rope works on the Jebel Hafeet, biking and running through the Rub’ al Kahli desert or kayaking on the turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf, THULE ADVENTURE TEAM (NZL) displayed a level of power and competitive ability far superior to that of any potential challengers.

“Winning four in a row and then winning every stage for the first time is really fantastic,” declared an elated Richard USSHER at the finishing line. This is really our strongest line-up and, with Marcel in the team again, we have the same team as last year but fitter and better prepared. The time of year is also ideal, allowing us focus completely on this one race.”

This morning, before the start of the final 33 km sea-kayaking stage held between Lulu Island and the Corniche Beach, the Kiwis already led second place THULE EUROPE (FRA) by 1h20’. The French nevertheless fought to the end to protect their second place, starting the stage with only a 10-minute buffer between themselves and Suisse team WENGER. Ultimately, these powerful paddlers led by Jacky BOISSET consolidated their second place (47h08’08”), with the second fastest time of the day.

"We did what we could to deal with Richard’s team but they were, once again, too strong. Every day on every section, we lost a few minutes to them and during the desert stage we came very close to dropping out; we were at the end of our tether. This first place still eludes us so we will be back for sure next year," said team captain Jacky BOISSET. Suisse team WENGER (SUI), not known for their kayaking skills, still managed 15th fastest time of the day, holding onto 3rd place in the process.