Raid in France – A World Final with a Twist.
News Release / 25.08.2012
The extraordinary 2012 round of Raid in France will take place from the 14th to the 22nd of September.
Named by ARWS (Adventure Racing World Series) as the final of Adventure Racing World Championships, it will gather together 300 international racers, from 30 different countries for a non-stop expedition, where they will be left to fend for themselves for the 500 kilometers between L’Argentière-la-Bessée and Roquebrune-Cap Martin.
A technical route will wind its way through stunning natural and wild areas of the Provence-Alpes-Cote-d’Azur region, climbing over 20,000m skywards during the course of the race.
The battle is set to commence. This incredible landscape will be the playing field for 75 teams, each composed of 4 racers (with at least one girl), entirely immersed in the wilderness for an adventure lasting 6 to 8 days without interruption. As it is the final, the best teams in the world and the best from France will take part.
Out of the favourites there will be the French-Swedish team Thule, current world champions, made up of Martin Flinta (captain), Jacky Boisset, Myriam Guillot and Per Vestling. These athletes are training 30 to 40 hours a week and have an extraordinary level of endurance in different disciplines : trekking, mountain biking, orienteering, mountaineering, canoeing, rafting, ropes…
Another team to keep your eye on is Seagate, the New-Zealand team, winners at Tierra Viva (Argentina) and Godzone (New-Zealand). French hopes rest upon Quecha, the triple champions of Raid in France (2011, 2009, 2008), Vibram lafuma, winners of Challenge National des raids 2012 (GNRM) or even Lafuma Vibram, who just won Adventure Racing European Series ARES- Corsica raid.
The only 100% feminine team, Ducati-Bicycles Rideaway (Sweden), will also defend courageously their chances. Adventure racing stays one of the rare discipline 100% mixed, where men and women skim through the race together doing the same event. Adventure racing is also well esteem by high-level amateur sport people, motivated by pushing themselves, sharing with other and immersion in wild areas.
For those reason, adventure racing is experiencing those last 20 years an impressive boom in France and in the World. Raid in France has become in 2007 the French round of Adventure racing World Series (ARWS), international structure that federate since 2001 long distance multisport raids. Every year, 11 rounds are compete in 5 different continents, all qualifying for world final.
