Disaster Strikes Team
Competitor Thrown from Horse
Bariloche, Argentina — Dec. 2, 1999

	Team Map Info

Team MapInfo, a hot favorite from New Zealand has been disqualified after team member Kristina Strode-Penny had to withdraw with a suspected fractured ankle.

She was thrown from her horse at PC3, the beginning of the horse leg. Speculation is that the horse was spooked by the huge crowd lining the trail or worse still by the flash of an overeager press photographer. Despite the fall, Kristina continued on the four hours to PC4, the first compulsory vet check and feed break for the horses.

"It was here that her injury was deemed too severe to continue and the team was forced to withdraw...."

It was here that her injury was deemed too severe to continue and the team was forced to withdraw. In true Kiwi spirit, the rest of the team is continuing on course, although officially disqualified. We last saw the team at dawn this morning in the lead pack with fellow Kiwis Team Greenpeace charging into the hills.

Race Director Mark Burnett commented it was extremely bad luck for a team he considered to be one of the strongest in the event.

— Chris Vile, MountainZone.com Correspondent