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Saturday, April 29, 2000 Two days after leaving Lhasa, the 69 teams of the Raid Gauloises have gathered at a small village named Shegar Dzong from which the race will officially start. Race directors have cancelled the prologue scheduled for Saturday due to the acclimatization problems experienced by certain teams. The decision was taken by the race directors after consultation with the medical team. Despite a five-day, high-altitude acclimatization program, including two nights at 4000m, two dozen competitors were still suffering from headaches, nausea, vomiting, and insomnia on Saturday, April 29th. "We deemed it unsound and useless to run the prologue, and decided, rather, to grant competitors an additional day of rest before the official start of the race," declared Alain Gaimard. The race director of the 10th Raid Gauloises has also announced a few changes in the "Raid Book" (the description of the course). Nighttime progression in the Nepal trekking section, between HQ 2 and HQ 3, is now prohibited. Organizers cite safety concerns as the reason for this change. According to the Nepalese government, Maoist groups roam the area at night and competitors are to act prudently. Patrick Brignoli, president of Raid Gauloises Organization, will officially launch the 10th Raid Gauloises at 8:45am, Nepalese time. The 69 teams will progress through the ruins of the Shegar Dzong fortress for a short trekking section, followed by an 85km-long, mountain biking section at 4200m of altitude. —Provided by Raid Gauloises
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