UPDATE 3: Toll is increasing as an additional cyclist retired from challenge this morning. Hence the total number of cyclists who had to stop is now 11. The remaining 25 cyclists still on the challenge are facing yet another tough day  with uphills and high temperatures….

UPDATE 1 & 2: Yesterday’s ride was the toughest since the beginning of the challenge. Unfortunately 6 cyclists had to stop towards the end of the day when they were 29km away from Jaen, yesterday’s final destination.  The cyclists gave their very utmost; however at around 2am (after 18hrs of cycling), the injuries and exhaustion took their toll. On top of this, they had to battle against the complete darkness of this night.

Although most of the cyclists carried torches, these were not sufficient and thus a backup vehicle followed them closely to provide as much light as possible with its headlamps. These efforts proved to be useless for these 6 cyclists as they were picked up one by one by the backup vehicles at various points along the road. The cyclists’ injuries varied from severe saddle-sores (due to the long hours on the bike), knee and muscle injuries and exhaustion. Hence the number of cyclists who withdrew since the start of the challenge totals ten.

Today, the challenge continues in the heart of the Sierra Nevadas where there are several steep gradients on this 170km day. The cyclists are by now used to the drill in Life Cycle and are working hard to achieve their goal. They know that once they are out of the mountain range they no longer have to deal with the demanding steep gradients, and will therefore make better time.

Just one more push and another couple of days, and the shores of Morocco beckon…

Watch this space for more updates during the day

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Click here to view HSBC Life Cycle Challenge Photos (Latest photos received for day 5)

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The Green Dot shows the position of a Lifecycle support van on the route in the last 5minutes.

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