Night Flight Over the Altar of Sacrifice

24.09.2004

Somewhere in Alentejo-Portugal, sculptured by a river and surrounded by trees lays a natural amphitheatre full of legend and mystery. In the middle of the amphitheatre, two high rocks erupt to form a natural plateau and at this place the Visigoths prayed and offered sacrifices to their gods. Endovélico, was the name of the God that these old tribes who inhabited the Guadiana Basin venerated at pré-roman times.

A 250 meter Tyrolean traverse with their bikes will take racers in the Portugal XPD Race across this altar on October 7th. It will be the first night of the race, but to arrive at this magic place they’ll have to bike, swim and run for at least 12 hours in a beautiful old Mediterranean landscape.

It will be the start of a 520km race with 4500m of ascent which will test 19 teams and racers from 10 nationalities over 4 days. With only 12 hours of daylight, night navigation and sleep strategy will be crucial, but the temperatures in the Portugal should be mild and comfortable for racing.

The course will be in the Guadiana River basin, a vast area of old Mediterranean forest and mixed farmland. The course includes the biggest fresh water reservoir in Portugal, named Alqueva. It’s more like an inland sea with countless islands and rocks to navigate through.

The race is the 4th stage of the Expedition Racing League, which has already included Raid Ukatak in Canada, Terra Incognita in Croatia, and XPD in the Australian outback. Series leaders eVENT ENDURE are taking part and will be up against strong local competition, as well some all-male teams.

The race has an excellent web site in Portuguese and English, where you can find out more about the race, and see picture galleries and video previews. There are still some places available for late entries in several categories.