The Call of Corsica
Rob Howard / 21.12.2004
Europe’s oldest adventure race, the Corsica Raid, is making some changes for 2005, the 11th time the race has taken place, but the beauty and challenge of the Mediterranean island remains the same.The race will now be called the Corsica Raid Adventure. At the request of racers, and in line with a general trend in multi-day racing, the event has been shortened to 5 days, but the race will still take place at the end of Spring, from May 28th to June 1st.
It’s a time of year when Corsica is at it’s best, and it’s a perfect setting for a race. The island is one of the greenest and most mountainous in the Mediterranean, so expect plenty of climbing on foot and bike. There are 50 peaks over 2000m and the average altitude is 568 meters. When off the rocky summits the vegetation is a mix of forest and maquis (a fierce Corsican scrub vegetation) that covers half of the island and can make progress and navigation difficult.
The crystal clear rivers, lakes, waterfalls and canyons are always a feature of the race, and for paddling and coasteering the west coast is the most rugged and is exposed to the prevailing winds.
For teams who want to take part in this Corsican adventure the good news is the entry fee has also been reduced, to 500 € per racer and 300 € for assistants, and there is also a slightly shorter option now called the Corsica Raid Challenger.
This takes place at the same time and lasts 4 days and 3 nights covering a series of set stages. However, only two racers are on the course at any one time, and teams can be made of up to 4 competitors who swap in and out of the team. (Though you can enter as a pair or team of 3.)
Teams interested in taking part can find detailed information and entry forms on the web site at www.corsicaraid.com, which is in French and English.
