Get Some Xtra

Rob / 01.09.2004

The first details of the ACE Race Xtra, have now been announced, and as the season finale for both the ACE Races Series and the British Championships it promises to be the most competitive team races of the year.

For those teams after a good British Championship ranking there’s still this weekend’s Saab Salomon GB X-adventure to come first, then attention will turn to the ‘Xtra’ over the weekend of October 2/3rd. The venue won’t be announced until nearer the time, but it will be somewhere in Southern Scotland.

The race is a one-off. It’s a regular 2 Day ACE Race with 5 stages which solos and pairs will be doing these as usual. So will teams, and their scores will count to the final ACE Race series standings, but they also have the choice of doing the ‘Xtra’ stages that make up the British Championship final event. It’s expected the vast majority of teams will have a go at these, and any teams wanting a BARC ranking for the year must do so for their points to count.

The Xtra stages will include rope activities, and those who’ve done the ACE XX and XXX in the past will know these can be high adrenalin sections. (The kit list includes a nappy!) There will also be some night time mountain biking and more endurance will be required as the Xtra is being fitted into the same timescale as the regular ACE Race – finishing by about 4pm on Sunday.

This means shorter transitions, especially between the mountain biking and navigation stages on Saturday (Wilf stops may have to be carefully planned), and much more night racing – until around 3 a.m. depending on how fast teams are going. There are a few ‘Xtra’ kit requirements too (apart from the nappy), including two mobile phones and a GPS.

Details are on the ACE Races website (use the link in the partner sites box) and the final race details, including the venue, will be released on September 21st.