RAID IN FRANCE ARWS
Day One at Raid in France - Nouvelle Aquitaine
Press Release / 29.06.2024
First encounter with Nouvelle-Aquitaine for the 25 international teams of this Raid in France 2024. The gaps between the leaders and the laggards are already significant.
On this Saturday, June 29th, the small town of Bugeat, gateway to the legendary Millevaches plateau, in Corrèze, woke up to a peculiar sight outside its windows. It witnessed the unusual ballet of around a hundred runners, both girls and boys, gathered to compete in the 466 km and 10,000 meters elevation gain of the 12th edition of Raid in France. This event serves as the French leg of the Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS)
Raid in France 2024, subtitled Expedition Nouvelle Aquitaine, kicked off for 4 to 6 days of self-sufficient racing, along a route featuring 13 different sections. Teams will navigate through the gorges of the Dordogne, the Millevaches plateau, the Xaintrie Blanche, and the Monédières region, alternating between trekking, packrafting, mountain biking, rappelling, and canyon exploration.
Organizers anticipated that gaps would quickly widen between the leading and trailing teams, but not to such an extent. This was largely due to captain Seb, also known as Sébastien Raichon, a prominent figure in the circuit, two-time winner of the Tor des Glaciers and a frequent leader in previous Raid in France events.
He immediately set a blistering pace for his team, 400Team (15), presumably to assert their dominance and establish a strong rhythm. By mid-afternoon, they had already reached Transition Area 2 after a first section of 17 km trekking and packrafting on the Vezère River, Lake Viam, and Lake Bariousses, followed by a 41 km mountain biking stretch with 1,070 meters of elevation gain on the Millevaches plateau. They then embarked on a 13 km trekking section (Section C) with nearly a 3-hour lead ahead of schedule, aiming to reach Lake Vassivière by nightfall.
Their closest pursuers, 400Team Bis (18) and Absolu Raid Aventure.fr XTTR (21), were not far behind. By 4 PM, only one team remained on Lake Bariousses: the Americans from Committed (6), participating for the first time in Raid in France.
THE "BACK TO NATURE" SPOT OF THE DAY
A jungle-like traverse through the Viam-Lestard state forest, during which teams either carried their packrafts on their backs or chose to deflate them to link Lake Viam and Lake Bariousses..
COMMENTS
"Choices had to be made already, deflating the packraft or carrying it, walking through water or navigating, with few paths indicated on the maps... We're truly in Raid in France!"
Nicolas Coisy, Valmoraid Nor (2), France
"The first section, less difficult than expected but very entertaining between river descent, forest trekking, and lakes, allowed us to familiarize ourselves with the RIF maps, a race we are discovering. However, we lost time following another team instead of looking at the map..."
David Salamo, Raidaran (9), Spain
COMING UP ON NIGHT ONE/DAY 2
Heading towards Lake Vassivière where teams will depart from Chateaucourt Beach for a 14 km traverse requiring precise navigation to find the 10 checkpoints scattered across this 1,000-hectare expanse. This large artificial lake, reminiscent of Canadian landscapes, is known for its 45 km of rugged shores, picturesque villages, and deep coves.
SleepMonsters
