37 elite teams entered in Argentina’s XKRace XTrem6000
Jacqueline Windh / 10.01.2007
With only a few weeks to go to the race start, 37 three-person teams are entered in the Elite category of this four-day race. Seventeen teams from North and South America have entered in the Elite Mixed category, and another twenty Argentinian teams are racing in the Elite Men category.This will be the longest race of the XK series. The format is expedition-race, and organizers warn that, although the actual race distance will \"only\" be about 250 km, the challenging terrain will make the route seem more like 350 km. Disciplines include trekking, mountain biking, ropes, and river sections paddling duckies provided by the organization.
The venue is the mountainous San Juan region, in the Andes of central Argentina. Most of the teams registered in the Mixed category are from South America, and include Uruguay’s Terramar (Cap. Ruben Mandure), Brazil’s Timberland Tropicos (Cap. Pablo Bucciarelli), Argentina’s 2050 Travel (Cap. Charly Galosi), and three Chilean teams.
The biggest name coming in from off the continent are USA’s Team Sole. Paul Romero and Karen Lundgren have pinched Finland’s Petri Forsman to accompany them on this race, and they will no doubt be a strong force on this course. USA team Enduradventure (Cap. Bryan Globe) will also be in the competition.
The significant prize money on offer should keep the action at the front of the pack pretty interesting. A total of $40,000US up for grabs includes $13,000 for the first Mixed team and $8,000 for the first Men’s team, with cash prizes for the top four spots in each category.
Stay tuned to SleepMonsters for race coverage starting January 31st. For general race information visit www.xtremo6000.com. There is also more detailed event information in Spanish at www.xkrace.com.ar.
