donkeys the major form of transport . A friendly welcome for the GS riders children and parents waving from the roadside and front doors .
Competitors were soon greeted with a natural challenge , a hill climb that required commitment and line choice , when that failed teamwork came to the fore . The second special soon followed with a ride through a water course that included sand , rocks , mud , and water . A challenge that caught many by surprise .
An enduro trail took riders to the Berat Castle , a history dating back to the Romans and Byzantine , a fitting way to end day one , a gentle introduction to the 2022 GS Trophy that saw Britain take the early lead over Thailand and South Africa . In the female class , South Africa had also shown similar form and sat just a handful of points behind the German team , with Mexico in third .
Following the 11-hour ride of day one , the second saw another nine hours in the mountains heading east toward the Macedonia border and Lake Ohrid .
Berat Castle hosted the first ‘ special ’, a seemingly simple challenge for removing the GS ’ s front wheel , running to a compressor , and inflating it to a pressure of 2.0bar , before reinstalling and pushing the bike across the finish line . A simple task that caught many out in the heat of the moment . Completed , the riders headed to the Tomorr National Park . An area of unique biodiversity , riders took to the trails through beech and pine forests , wild boar and wolves unseen yet ever present .
From the mountains the riders followed the valley floor of the Osum River to reach the days halfway point . The Gramsh area providing the location for the days second ‘ special ’, a trials section where competitors were penalised for off course riding , falls , and of course dabbing of feet . A number of approaches were taken , all with varied results .
The day finished with a three-hour trail ride through mountain forests and high-altitude pastures before descending another UNESCO World Heritage site , Lake Ohrid , the oldest in Europe .
After the day ’ s test results were tallied , the new leaders were Thailand . Team UK had incurred many penalties dropping them to second while South Africa closed in . Germany increased their lead in the women ’ s competition , Mexico moved South Africa into third place .
One hundred and twenty kilometres of forested mountain trails greeted riders for day three as part of the 200-kilometre total distance .
A mountain ridge took riders high across the hills
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