Red Bull X-Alps
Dropping Into Davos
Press Release / 19.06.2019
Swiss mountain resort hosts gathering of the world's greatest adventure athletes.
The Red Bull X-Alps today entered Davos, Switzerland. The Swiss mountain resort may be better known as the gathering place of world leaders. But from today it welcomes the world's top adventure athletes swooping in under human power. Appropriately, it was the five-time Swiss champion Christian 'Chrigel' Maurer who was first to make the Turnpoint, arriving to huge cheers from the lakeside crowd who'd come to greet his arrival.
In hot pursuit was the French rookie athlete Maxime Pinot, who arrived shortly after 1pm, looking tired from the flight.
"It must look good on Live Tracking," he said. "But sometimes there are 20kph to 30kph winds and it was quite complicated. We also lost some time at the launch. The ridge where we hiked was not so easy to take off from."
It is the second time that Pinot has started the day alongside Maurer only to fall behind in the air. It would seem his only chance is for Maurer to make a mistake, something increasingly unlikely as the multiple champion enters home turf. But by mid-afternoon Pinot was hanging on in his slipstream.
But there is one thing that could yet turn the race in his favor – the weather. If it turns against the leaders tomorrow as predicted, and forces them to continue on foot, it could be the younger Frenchman who has the advantage. He is an experienced and fast ultra-runner while Maurer suffered in the 2017 race when forced to hike all day.
One of the most interesting stories of the race however is the comeback of the Italian flying maestro Aaron Durogati. On the first day he was lingering at the back but in the last two days has stormed through the rankings and is looking very strong in third place. However, that could all change again if he is forced to hike, something the Italian has been keen to avoid all race as much as possible.
Chasing hard behind him is the Austrian athlete Paul Guschlbauer and Gaspard Petiot (FRA2). There's then a gaggle of 10 athletes all approximately at the same location, taking advantage of flying in a group but also jockeying for position. The battle for dominance within this group is proving to be a gripping race within the main race.
At the back it's game over for Lebanese athlete Rodolphe Akl. He was eliminated this morning. The next last-placed athlete will be eliminated in 48 hours and it's not looking good for Polish athlete Dominika Kasieczko. She has already pulled her Night Pass and has no more cards to play. Today it is the Russian athlete Evgenii Griaznov (RUS) who has chosen to walk through the night.
Be sure to follow all the action on Live Tracking at www.redbullxalps.com
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ABOUT RED BULL X-ALPS
Red Bull X-Alps 2019 is the world's toughest adventure race, covering over 1,138km of alpine terrain. It started on June 16, marking the ninth edition of the race. 32 world-class athletes from 20 nations take part in this grueling journey from Salzburg to Monaco only by foot and paraglider – their every move tracked and played out to an audience of millions via the Live Tracking. The competition field consists of 16 veterans, 15 rookies and one defending champion who will be looking to add a sixth consecutive victory to his resume.
Along the way, the athletes will pass 13 Turnpoints in 6 different countries. Prior to the main event, the one-day Prologue race will see athletes jostle for a prime position. The top three finishers will earn themselves an additional Night Pass; allowing them to continue onwards once through the mandatory rest period.
This year's route brings the racers into both familiar and new terrain – but you can count on every single day showing us rocky ascents, dizzying flights and crucial, strategic decisions – a challenge for body and mind. With a more demanding route than ever before, Red Bull X-Alps 2019 will be full of drama, adventure, and high-alpine action. The winner will need to be smart, strong, a master of both planning and reactivity – and have a little bit of luck.
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