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A Czech Adventure

Russ Ladkin Team High 5/Snowcard.co.uk / 06.10.2006

Racing overseas in Europe gives me mixed emotions. Firstly there is all the extra hassle beyond getting a team together: flights, insurance, airport transfers, translation problems with the kit list & interpreting airline luggage allowances and security measures. But having overcome this, you are rewarded with visiting a different area, new disciplines and challenges, making new friends and generally being warmly welcomed. Races are also usually cheaper than in UK offsetting the extra travel costs (entry for this was £60 per head for this 75 hour race including pre and post-event meals) and most of the cheap airlines have a set fee of £15 each way for a bike.

The Nev Dama Czech Race was also well organised as you would expect having Race Director Tomas Vanek in charge (his team were 9th in the AR World champs in Sweden just ahead of Barclays TNF).

Our team, compiled through the Sleepmonsters forum comprised of Mick Kenyon, Gill Watson, Jeff Powell Davies and myself. The big challenge right from the start was going to be the inclusion of inline skating sections. Only Gill had experience of this which gave the rest of us 2 months to get hold of skates and get some practice in. We also clarified that if we weren't up to it, we would be allowed to go on foot carrying the skates for those stages!

The race base was a campsite in the small village of Zadni Treban about an hour from Prague airport. We took tents but booked into one of the cheap wooden chalets. This campsite formed the main transitions for the race, removing the need for the organisers to transport bikes. We would return 3 times during the race and be allowed to stay for a maximum of 2 hours on each visit before being penalized.

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