XPD Australia
Teams Settle into Cairns
XPD Media / 17.05.2010
The vibe is all friendly and peacefully focused - for now at least ...Cairns locals today may have noticed an unusual trend of groups of four all over town – many fo them athletic types, booking into accommodation nearby, cycling along the esplanade and around the CBD, and also further out of town. Some are checking out some of Cairns’ sights ... but as the hey are XPD racers they are maybe anticipating parts of the course? Among the teams relaxing, shopping, stocking up on supplies and equipment, chilling by the pool and packing their boxes were other popular options. There is a pretty relaxed vibe about the place and the weather today provided a magnificently cheerful “welcome to XPD Cairns 2010�.
A few teams were happy to spend some time sharing a bit about themselves and what they are expecting for the race. In no particular order:
<b>Juggernaught (21)</b>
These guys were pretty chatty, super excited and really hoping for a rough and tough course with the team captain stating, “the rougher the course, the more I’ll enjoy myself!�.
The new team formation said that they were all injury free … with their fitness ‘to be decided’. They have a host of rather clearly defined goals, which they shared: 1) to finish; 2) to finish unranked; 3) not to be the last ranked team; and 4) to finish in time to watch the State of Origin (on the 26th).
If any team is going to fire up Juggernaught it is the Dukes of Hazzard (30) … and apparently Juggernaught is willing to resort to any unsavoury tactic to ensure they stay ahead!
Amongst this team, members have experience of several GeoQuests, an XPD and a strong showing at the 2009 Hells Bells race under their belt. They are loving the climate, looking forward to a roped element of the course and their only real race concerns are about possible wind while sea kayaking in the inflatable boats … and crocodiles!
In addition to the challenge of the race, these guys have set themselves another challenge: to gain weight during the event – and so they have filled their boxes with tins of food and shared out 150L of Gatorade powder. It is rumoured that bathroom scales will be out at HQ tomorrow, precisely to record weight and height (just for interest), so we’ll see how they go with this once the race is done.
And with their moto, “nothing stops the Juggernaughts� they went off for a stretch session and to carbo load.
<b>Orion Adventure (40)</b>
The Orion Adventure guys were chilling out in the Rydges hotel lobby earlier today. This NZ team with an impressive swag of AR placings in previous XPDs and other premier international adventure races may be reason enough to make them a team to fear (for those that are also out to win) … and they make no secret that they are here to win!
The composition of Orion Adventure has changed (due to a retirement and a move overseas) and this XPD will be the first event bringing together this unique formation. Amongst them, they haven’t skimped on combining extensive experience, enviable ability and extreme thoroughness in addressing and planning out team dynamics. Team captain, Brent, is the navigator. The priority of the others in the team is to support him because it is a lot of pressure to take this responsibility on individually. They believe they have great potential to perform very well and are out to provide some very exciting competition for teams such as Blackheart.com.au (1) and Team Merrell/Alkali (42) in particular.
Orion Adventure arrived on Saturday to give themselves an easy lead into the race and enjoy some R&R in Cairns. They are expecting the weather to work well for them – while most like to be comfortable while racing, apparently weather extremes enhance this team’s performance. They say that it’s just because ‘Kiwis are tougher’. So you can blame it on this team if an unexpected heat wave breaks out!
<b>WENGER – NAM – EASYIMPLANT (3)</b>
‘Snorkelling practice’ was the justification for this team to spend the later afternoon by the pool and they had already combined some training with sightseeing, visiting the Crystal Cascades just out of town.
This French team is very strong and well known on the International AR circuit. With two team originals and two ‘new’ members, XPD Cairns 2010 will be the first event to create a common experience for these four.
Team captain, Bruno, was in Cairns competing in the revolutionary Eco Challenge in 1997 but for all the other team members this is their first race in Australia. While there is no doubt the team are here to give it their all - they claim particularly against Orion Adventure, SCAR, and Team Merrell/Akali - their decision to come to this event in Cairns was also for a holiday, to sightsee, have a good time and explore the area around Cairns.
This team is very strategic in choosing ARs to compete in and some of their criteria includes: a traditional AR format consisting of long and non-staged legs, which enhances discovery and also the unexpected, and it must also be in an interesting location … all boxes that the XPD event ticks easily! This team is feeling strong and carries no injuries – and they are certainly not a team to take lightly.See All Event Posts
