Raid Caneo Nature
The first ever Raid Canéo Nature is over
25.08.2008
The Raid Canéo Nature has completed its first journey across France.Sixty double sea kayaks “beached� on Prado beach in Marseilles on Thursday, August 8 during the early afternoon, after having left the sinister yet superb Château d’If on the port side, the final stage of this first ever Raid Canéo Nature.
The faces of the 120 competitors who had just finished crossing France from Versailles using no motorised transport whatsoever were suntanned, emaciated and clearly marked by the extreme effort they have undertaken. As the bows of the kayaks finally touched land, they each threw their paddles onto the beach, savouring this moment of triumph and freedom. They had just scored an incredible victory over themselves with this 1100km journey through a marvellous natural setting, spanning eleven days on horseback, by mountain bike, by rollerblade, on foot or by kayak, not forgetting stints of canyoning, caving, via corda and orienteering. Waiting at the finishing point, the organiser Gérard FUSIL looked relieved !
Paul PELLETIER. - You must find all of this very reassuring ?
Gérard FUSIL. - I’m fully satisfied that this initial competition has unfolded without accidents or serious incidents. My main concern as an organiser is to successfully bring our competitors top level, demanding activities, leaving them maximum liberty and autonomy while at the same time guaranteeing optimal safety conditions. Although accidents are rare in nature sports, we nevertheless need to stay alert at all times. I’ve also had to take some pretty painful decisions over the last two days due to the bad weather, and consequently the sea section of the route has been reduced.
Paul PELLETIER. - Did the competitors fully understand the reasons for this ?
Gérard FUSIL. - Yes, well virtually all of them at least. They know their limits, even if they are here to push them further. It must be said too, that they are keen to develop their physical resistance limits much more than their technical limits, of which they quickly become aware, whether this concerns horse riding, caving or rollerblading. It gives them a chance to compare themselves to the very best, and they are soon able to gauge the progress they need to make.
There was one point shared by virtually all of the competitors during this Raid Canéo Nature, and that was courage and in some cases even heroism. They were remarkable. The route was exhausting and the rest and recovery periods extremely short. Living conditions were as basic as they could possibly be. Despite this, they have virtually all reached Marseilles, and on the evening of the prize giving just after their arrival they were radiant and in excellent shape : an outstanding demonstration of health sports, energy and good-spiritedness
P.P.- How did things go from an organisational viewpoint ?
G.F.- I think I learned a great deal. The debriefing will take up several pages as this was definitely the most difficult organisational aspect that I have known, despite my 19 years’ experience in organizing major rallies abroad. This is due to the special characteristics of the Raid Canéo Nature, which is broken down into stages and which includes three categories with numerous changeovers of activities, and ambitious routes such as the caving section which took place in some pretty amazing crevices. Overall, the outcome is a very good one, but this is also due to the outstanding quality of our participants, including a large number of competitors who know us and who have already taken part in our previous events. See All Event Posts
