Instant chemistry: how 2 unconventional Cain's Quest 2016 teams made it to the starting line
Racing Cain's Quest requires a lot of team work, communication, and co-ordination: what usually evolves after hours of would-be competitors practicing and riding together.
But the day before Team Aivek reached the starting line Friday night, they'd only ridden together for a total of 45 seconds.
"It was a great ride," joked Guy Bertrand, of the time it took he and teammate Conrad Jenkins to load and unload their sleds into the Labrador City Arena for the fan night event.
Bertrand hails from Listowel, Ont., while Jenkins lives in Nain — not exactly neighbours who can hop on sleds and meet up at any opportunity.
"Monday night, 7:30, was the first time I met him face to face," said Jenkins.
Facebook friends first
Rewind to a few months before post-time, back to when Jenkins lost his original teammate, but not the desire to attempt Cain's Quest.
Using contacts in the snowmobile community, Bertrand's name came up as a possible candidate.
A Facebook message led to a phone call, which led to Bertrand, a veteran of the race from 2014. Just one week earlier, Bertrand had decided he was done with Cain's Quest, but he quickly — and unexpectedly — found himself back in.
"I talked to the wife and she said, 'You know, you do have some unfinished business in Labrador, you need to complete your quest.' So within a couple hours I called him back and said, 'Absolutely, let's do this.'"
That phone call led to ... a lot more.
"My wife would get kinda fussy with me being on the phone for a couple hours, a couple times a week," said Jenkins, as the two men built a long distance race strategy.
One fateful phone call
While Team Aivek had dozens of phone calls over several months to build a race strategy, Team Kyson came together with one — just 72 hours before the starting line.
On Tuesday, Harry Nui was about to head out to Labrador City from his home in Natuashish, when a medical emergency struck the girlfriend of his teammate Joachim Nui, and Joachim had to fly to St. John's.
"I encouraged him to be with her, of course family comes first. Then, I find myself in a situation: no partner," said Nui.
Nui racked his brain about who could possibly step in at the last minute, and one name came to mind.
His old friend, veteran racer Perry Dyson of Makkovik.
"When the call [came], I didn't want to answer the phone, right? 'Cause I didn't want to say yes, but I couldn't say no," said Dyson.
"Had it been anybody else, I would've been able to say no, but he's my buddy."
With that, Dyson was up off the couch and into the race.
'The stars aligned'
Dyson and Nui both have a few Cain's Quests under their belts, although never as a team together.
"I didn't think I was ever going to race Cain's again," said Dyson.
"Some days you think, 'Yeah, if it happens again and someone offers me a chance to go, I'm gonna go.' It's like the stars aligned."
With both Team Kyson and Team Aivek taking the unconventional approach to team-building, all racers say they're not too concerned with coming in first.
"We'll take it easy," said Nui. "Our main goal is to finish this race."
And while Nui and Dyson have the easygoing rapport of old friends, having known each other for more than a decade, Conrad Jenkins hopes Team Aivek will build a similar camaraderie along the way.
"I think, maybe, we'll be back in 2018. I'm hoping we will."
So far, so good: while several other teams have already been sidelined, Team Kyson and Team Aivek are still going strong.
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