On April 14, the third day of the 2014 Wenzhou International Mountain Outdoor Sports Challenge concluded. After a day of highly variable conditions, the race dynamics became even more intricate. Currently, Team Red Bull finished third overall with a time of 4 hours and 38 minutes; Team Red Bull II completed the course in 4 hours, 58 minutes and 41.5 seconds, placing ninth overall and also setting a new best single-day performance for a Chinese team in this edition of the event.
On the third day of the competition, Team Red Bull ranked third for the day with a time of 4 hours and 38 minutes, moving into second place in the cumulative standings after three days.
On this chilly morning, the new day’s events kicked off in Pucheng Suocheng. Competitors had to complete a 2-kilometer orienteering course in this quaint mountain village, where ancient architecture blended seamlessly with modern outdoor adventure. However, the organizing committee announced before the start that after the 12.5-kilometer cross-country run to Yuliao, the originally planned 16-kilometer sea kayaking segment would be canceled. Instead, participants would take a bus from Yuliao to the original kayak landing point—Wangjiashan Village. The cancellation was due to excessively rough sea conditions that day, with safety being the top priority. According to meteorological data, wind speeds at sea reached level 3–4.
Due to high waves on the third day of the competition, the kayaking event was canceled. The photo shows Team Red Bull running on the beach of Yuliao, the original exchange station.
Reactions to the schedule change were mixed. One domestic competitor remarked after finishing, “If we had kayaking today, who knows when we’d have finished?” As the leader of the domestic group, Burjura of Team Red Bull II said, “With kayaking canceled, we’re much more relaxed. Yesterday’s kayaking route was 33 kilometers long, and my muscles and lower back were pretty sore—it hurt a lot. Plus, the sea was very rough, and we had to angle our paddles against the waves.”
The two Red Bull teams taking on the orienteering event in Pucheng Suocheng.
In contrast, all three male members of Team Red Bull are from New Zealand, and their captain, Richard Ussher, designs and produces paddles himself—he was certainly hoping to make a comeback on the water. Richard said with some resignation, “This is definitely a big setback for us. We have an advantage in the water; at the very least, we could have widened the gap with the chasers behind us and created room to catch up. More importantly, we’re good at conserving energy in the water.”
Team Red Bull II during the mountain biking event.
As Alina put it, “It’s fair for everyone.” Although they were closely pursued by Finland’s fourth-place multisport team during the cross-country run, the mountain biking leg gave Team Red Bull a trump card—Stuart Lynch, World Endurance Cycling Champion. Richard spoke highly of his teammate: “Today, with all the climbing and descending on the mountain, Lynch’s experience really helped us. Riding at the front, I felt completely at ease.” Alina added, “There were so many loose rocks on the mountain, it was jarring and painful, but when I saw Lynch, I felt instantly more relaxed.”
Team Red Bull II during the mountain biking event.
Another challenge during the ride was the heat—the overcast sky suddenly cleared just before the mountain biking began, and the scorching weather left everyone drenched in sweat. Burjura said, “The mountain slopes are very steep—climbing is hard, and descending is even harder. A small mistake could ruin all our progress from the first three days. We have to be extra careful.” According to the schedule, after the 50.5-kilometer mountain bike section, competitors had to complete a 2-kilometer cross-country run, scale a 3-meter escape wall, and then finish the race.
A moment from Team Red Bull II’s Burjura spotting the target during the orienteering event on the third day of the competition.
At the escape wall, Richard and Peter Vos crouched down to let the tall, slender Lynch and the petite Alina climb over first. After Richard made it up, Peter Vos was the last to ascend. According to Qi Ranran, the team leader of Team Red Bull II, “The person who climbs the wall last is usually the strongest physically on the team. That Peter Vos can team up with three star athletes says a lot about his abilities.” Wei Jun, the competition’s chief judge, commented, “By the time everyone reached the escape wall today, they were completely exhausted—but it was the perfect moment to test teamwork. Also, this area is urban, allowing more spectators to experience the excitement of outdoor sports.”
Team Red Bull during the escape wall event.
Team Red Bull II’s Hu Wanze during the escape wall event.
After the race, both female members of the Red Bull teams experienced health issues. Back at the rest area, Red Bull II’s Rehman Yimashe quickly took a bottle of Yunnan Baiyao spray from team leader Qi Ranran and applied it to her left shoulder. Rehman said, “It’s nothing serious—just some strain from yesterday’s kayaking and the bumps along the way today.” In contrast, Red Bull’s Alina was more concerning—she said, “The river water yesterday was really dirty and smelly. Maybe that’s why I started having stomach pain last night, couldn’t eat anything this morning, and felt weak. I just ate something with Richard, and I feel a bit better now. Hopefully, it won’t affect tomorrow’s race.”
Finishing ninth overall, Team Red Bull II certainly has reason to celebrate—especially since their combined times for the cross-country run and escape wall were just 14 minutes and 23.5 seconds, ranking first overall. Their orienteering time in the early stages of the race was 17 minutes and 48.6 seconds, ranking fifth overall. Their three-day cumulative time was 19 hours, 12 minutes and 31 seconds, placing them tenth. Delivering strong performances at both the start and end of the race shows the team’s growing maturity in managing energy distribution. Burjura said, “Today went very smoothly—we stayed in our own rhythm. The female riders aren’t as strong on the mountain bike, but the three of us men have experience with 50-kilometer or even 100-kilometer rides, so we could help her a lot.”
Team Red Bull during the cross-country run event on the third day of the competition.
On the overall standings, Team Red Bull is in second place with a time of 17 hours, 8 minutes and 31.4 seconds. Although they’ve opened up a roughly 9-minute gap over third-place Team Thule Expedition, their lead over the front-running New Zealand Expedition Team has narrowed to 28 minutes. Richard’s post-race summary turned somewhat somber: “It got hot again today, and canceling the kayaking event was a big blow to us. Even though we’re strong on the mountain bike, these many hills aren’t easy. All in all, it was a very tough day.” But Richard still believes Team Red Bull hasn’t lost its shot at the championship: “Anything is possible—tomorrow starts with a 20-kilometer kayaking leg, which is our strength. There’s no other way but to give it our all.” Alina added, “It’s hard to wait for your opponents to make mistakes, but never say never.”
After reaching the finish line, the legendary Red Bull couple—the Ussher pair—are seen conversing.