RAIDARAN-LLEIDA PIRINEUS
Raidaran Lleida Pirineus; The European Adventure Race Championships 2016
News Release / 28.04.2016

Thirty teams have already registered for the third edition of this event, which will take place from the 20th to 23rd July, a little later than in previous years.
Raidaran, which this year changed its name Raidaran Lleida Pirineus, has gained international recognition as the 2016 AR European championships, having been part of the ARES European circuit ARES for the past two seasons. (Very few other sports in Catalonia have held European championships.)
Thirty teams of a dozen nationalities have already confirmed their participation in the event. There will be racers from France, The Czech Republic, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia. Some teams are even coming from beyond Europe, from as far away as Canada and Colombia. Catalan teams are still the majority of the teams registered so far, along with France, and there will be representatives from the Basque Country, Galicia and Extremadura, among other Spanish territories.
Unlike in previous years, enrolment is limited to a maximum of 40 teams and there will be a single category, the elite, eliminating the options of adventure and open categories. This means that all teams will consist of four members of which at least one always has to be a woman. The conditions of participation will be very similar to those of the World Championships (ARWC). As in the first edition, teams may not have any assistants/support teams, and must rely on the transfer of their materials by the organization. This allows equal conditions for all participants, wherever they come from, on logistics.
The start will be in Vielha in the Val d'Aran, on Wednesday 20th July and the finish will be on Saturday 23rd in Lleida. The closing ceremony and the awards ceremony will be on Sunday 24th, also in the capital of Segrià. In total, the racers will complete between 300 and 500 km with disciplines including canyoning, kayaking, trekking, mountain biking and via ferrata.
By expanding its geographical scope and moving away from having a circular route, the Raidaran Lleida Pirineus 2016 "will be different from the others, with an expedition format" in the words of the Race Director, Xavi Rodriguez. "The teams will have more hours to complete the race," he continued, adding they will be allowed up to 80 hours on the course. "It will be one of the best adventures that any team has been able to take part in. Athletes only have to worry about competing and enjoy challenges as different as trekking in the high mountains or paddling around large inland lakes," added Rodriguez, who also notes that during the adventure temperatures could range from; "zero degrees by night to 35 in the daytime."
The winner of the competition, as well as the title of Champions of Europe will get the prize of a place with free registration for the next World Championship (ARWC), to be held in Australia in November. In addition, the organization of Raidaran, will offer a special recognition to all the racers that have participated in all three events, offering them an exclusive commemorative gift.
One of the racers meeting this condition is Albert Vilana, who aspires to win his third title at Raidaran. In 2014 he won with Team Diedre and in 2015 with the Vall Fosca. This time he will compete with two of his companions from their first victorious adventure, Albert Roca and Arnau Julià. The other team member is Marta Riba.
The competition will be formidable, both among new teams and those with wider European and global experience. One such are Issy Absolu of France, who will be starting very motivated after being taken out of the fight for the podium a year ago by arriving a few minutes late at the end of a ravine section in the race.
You can find out full details of the Raid Aran Lleida Pirineus and see the current team list at http://raidaran.com
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