Details of Cyprus Odyssey
David Ogden / 01.11.2002
The route for the race in February is now complete and at 530 Kilometres it will be one of the longest races in Europe.
The course is demanding and scenic passing through small villages and along forest roads. You will spend hours without seeing anyone apart from your teammates and there will be opportunities to purchase additional supplies at the odd village store or Taverna, and perhaps find shelter for the night.
Recruiting has started for up to fifty volunteers, who will be required to act as marshals at transitions and checkpoints, responsible for moving equipment boxes between transitions and ad hoc checks on mandatory equipment, as well as providing administration and first aid. Anyone interested should e-mail me.
Tyre choice could become a major consideration with the mountain bike legs along dirt tracks, a few stretches of tarmac, some rock and sand. There are plenty of thorns along the route - I suffered seven punctures on the first leg alone. The hills are quite steep and after winter rain you can expect to encounter loose rock on road surfaces and gullies caused by water run off. Tarmac and concrete sections often end without warning, usually with a hole.
Teams will need to consider their tactics for the race with care. Local maps contain very little detail and are 1:100000 with no UTM co-ordinates. During daylight hours it is possible to see various route options and you may be lucky enough to find a signpost. Night time is a different matter especially when tracks zigzag around hillsides and trees block out GPS signals. In a few cases waypoints have been set up to guide teams to a particular route and I’d recommend you use them!
Interest in the race has already been expressed from teams in the UK, USA, France, Russia, Brazil and South Africa as well as at least one local team.
Entries close on December 15th and if you’re interested in going there is an entry form on the race web site.
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