X-adventure Raid World Cup 2006
Perfect Start for X-Adventure Raid World Cup
John Michael Flynn / 17.03.2006
As dawn broke over Geographe Bay on Australia’s West Coast, the sixteen teams competing in the race set off on the opening 9 kilometre canoe leg, in near idyllic conditions for open water paddling.Admiring the scene, among many others, were the members of Team Salomon Crested Butte from Colorado. The beachfront start-line setting, far removed from the ski fields back home, but magnificent all the same.
“Beautiful sunrise this morning, pretty calm winds, really calm water,� Salomon / Crestued Butte’s Bryan Wickenhauser told Sleepmonsters as he painted a mental picture of the scene.
“We don’t have a sail and our paddles still haven’t shown up so we’re using the race paddles.
We’re doing our best, minimize the damage on the paddle, find fifth gear on the bike and the run.�
Today will see two consecutive canoe legs of 9 kilometres and 7 kilometres, followed by back to back run legs of 14 kilometres and 33 kilometres. The final leg for the first day of competition will be a 90 kilometre mountain bike ride, through largely undulating country in Australia’s South-West.
Competition is expected to be open, but word among the teams is that team Spyder (U.S./ Aus) and GoLite Timberland (N.Z.) will be among the favourites for the event.
“It’s a perfect temperature for going hard and not over heating yet,� Salomon Crested Butte’s Eric Sullivan said of the up-coming forecast for the day.
“That’ll hit us later in the day in the 37 k run.�
Stay with Sleepmonsters for the stage by stage up-to-date coverage of the Raid World Cup series opener for 2006.
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