Monday, June 17
    After storms and continuous rain in the night, the morning temperature is pleasantly low and a thick fog envelops the damp dawn. Shortly after 4 a.m. the sound of rock music starts up at the camp reception area and two Slovenians play table soccer beneath the roof. They play with real enthusiasm, oblivious to their surroundings. Their sluggish moves, the noise of the music and the empty rum bottle make everything clear. It's a scene just like out of Antonioni's film, "Blow Up, the only difference being that these hotshots have a ball. Offensive moves are often followed by a fall onto the table itself. After two hours of a heavy game, the battle is over and the boys, tottering, get into a car and drive off. The thudding of the music fades into the distance, and only now can the drops of water, falling steadily from the plant leaves, be heard hitting the roof. All around is silent and enveloped in a dense fog.



    After the dissipation of the fog, an unlimited view of the surrounding mountains through the crystal clear air appears for the first time during the race, and the weather is beginning to look very optimistic after the passing of the front. Several military trucks even dare the challenge of difficult crest section of the route, in bringing pilots up, and actually make it through without problems.



    The temperature on the starting ground is, in comparison to previous days, lower, the sky a clear blue and visibility excellent. Finally even a stronger wind is blowing, though unfortunately from the side opposite the usual. At Kobala this is no problem, because it's enough to turn around take off towards the other side. This time, though, it's necessary to get behind the mountain to follow the route.



    After a meeting of the organizers as to how best to make use of the good conditions, a discipline with seven turning points and the goal at the stadium in Tolmin is announced.

    The overall distance is, for now, is a record 77 kilometers. The start window is one hour long and opens at 12:30. A more important time however, is 13:30 when the so-called 'marker' opens, which is the starting point. The type of discipline for today is a "Race to goal", so that the time starts off the same for all at 13:30 and so by this time it is ideal to have reached the highest possible altitude and start off on the route without hesitation.



    Most of the racers rush to the start immediately upon opening of the start window despite the fact that, due to strong winds, they are unsuccessful in taking off the first couple of times, and within several minutes there is a swarm of paragliders over the eastern valley of Kobala.



    The conditions en route aren't as great as was predicted. The maximum height levels reach around 2200 meters above sea level, which in some mountainous sections means a very bad operating altitude, and furthermore the thermals are relatively narrow and broken up. Ondřej Dupal nears the goal in first position, together with Tomáš Brauner, but there down glide ends 800 meters before the stadium. Only half an hour later does the only Slovenian racer of the day, Jurij Vidic fly in to the stadium and his stopwatch stops at almost exactly five hours of flight when he reaches the goal.



    Our pilots in today's discipline Radek Večeřa and Petr Kostrhun lack only 5km to the goal, and Mirek Varvařovský, Karel "Charlie" Vejchodský and Radek Krampl land 7 km before the goal line. Milan Kameníček, for a change, cleverly lands beyond the river, so that he has to wade back across the Soča, up to his waist in water, holding his pack over his head. In the overall placing of the race then, Jurij Vidic increased his lead, the German, Lausch is second and Ondřej Dupal is third, followed by Tomáš Brauner in fourth. So only five of our pilots remain in the top ten.