South African Sean Rice won the 2009 NY Mayor’s Cup race this morning in grueling conditions, holding off a strong challenge from Bevan Manson (SA) and Jaka Jazbec (Italy). Evergreen Olympian Greg Barton (US) came fourth.
The paddlers head out into the Hudson, just after the start
Race Almost Cancelled
With the winds blowing from the NNE at a sustained 25kts, gusting to 35kts, temperatures of 45F (4C) and raging 4-5ft waves on the Hudson River, race director Ray Fusco was forced to ask the "citizen" paddlers to forego their race for safety reasons.
The elite paddlers found the going absolutely grueling. Erik Borgnes said, "it was absolutely brutal out there. By the time I got to Hell's Gate (some 10km from the finish) my balance was gone. The last mile into the wind took me twenty minutes."
Rough water on the Hudson
Hudson River
The Hudson River was a maelstrom of white water, with the incoming tide driving against the wind and the skis were going airborne as the paddlers ramped the steep chop...
For most of the race Sean Rice, Bevan Manson and Jaka Jazbec worked together while Pat Dolan found himself in an invidious position some way behind on his own.
and more rough water...
And still more - they had nearly 20km of this stuff
In a group further back, Greg Barton (USA), Glen Eldridge (UK) and Joep van Bakel (NL) were fighting it out together.
Harlem River to the Hell's Gate
Once the paddlers turned the corner into the Harlem River, they found themselves on relatively flat water - but the ski paddlers were able to find some small bumps to help them along while they also took every opportunity to catch the wakes of passing boats.
On the Harlem River things got a bit quieter - here's Sean Rice, Jaka Jazbec and Bevan Manson in front
In the narrow waterways, boat wakes became a major factor.
Bevan Manson - knee boots and plastic bags over his hands in the cold, cold conditions.
Hell's Gate, where three rivers join together, was relatively mild when the first paddlers came through, but presented much more of a challenge - with confused water and whirlpools making things interesting - for those further back in the field.
Hell's Gate to the Finish
Sean Rice made his move about 6km from the finish - he managed to stay on a ship's wake a little longer than the other two, built up a lead of some 50m and then put his head down. "I knew the last km into the wind was going to be hectic," he said, "and I wasn't confident of taking on Bevan into the wind. So I wanted to have something of a lead before we got there."
And that's how it worked out - Manson paddled as hard as he could, maintained his lead on a tired Jazbec, and even made a little ground on Rice - but it was too little too late, and the 20-year-old from Cape Town crossed the line in a very well earned first position to claim the $5,000 prize.
Greg Barton showed his surfski experience by dropping the rest of his group in the bumps in the Harlem River and passed a hurting Pat Dolan before the finish. |
