Day 8: Ready for off-road

The news last night that the rally organizers had struck a deal with the Ekaterinberg off-road club put fear into the hearts of many a driver.

The Russians, after all, have off-roading in their blood (how they manage to drive their Ladas into some of these remote villages is astonishing). I managed to further compound my own fears by checking out the club's website, which features lots of pictures of happy people wadng through rivers while their trucks drown.

So instead of catching an early rest after our long transit yesterday, most of the teams spent the night preparing. Partly in anticipation, partly in dread. We attached and tested our winches, checked our tow straps, installed our snorkels and topped up fuel and oil. With two cameras and a laptop with me, I also wrapped my backpack and passport in a big plastic bag just in case.

The drive to the starting point didn't allay any of our fears; even before the tough stuff, we had to cross a stream, drive over a narrow log bridge and cross a few hills. Three straight days of rain in the area had left the ground soggy and turned potholes into sinkholes.

It was all to be for naught, however. On a reconnaissance run, the rally organizers - in a jacked-up Suzuki - got stuck. The driver of an all-wheel-drive logging truck emerged from the woods to ask if our tow cables could reach 60 m. The stage was cancelled about two hours after it was supposed to have started.

With four hours budgeted to cover just 18 km, the stage was supposed to eat up a big chunk of the day. Instead, we spent most of that chunk at a charming local cafe (where the owner spoke English and served a mean borscht) which had a carwash attached to the side.

The 300-km run to Tyumen seemed like a cinch after the anticipation leading up to the off-road stage. Word came later that a couple of teams had attempted it anyway and managed to get through - most notably Neil Hopkinson and Richard Meaden from the U.K., who completed the entire stage in less than three hours and only slightly damaged the rear bumper of their Cayenne.