Adventure Sports Week Offers Economic Assistance!

Adventure Sports Week is still on track to be one of the top events of the year in terms of endurance events, adventure racing, and just plain fun! Running from June 5-14, in Farragut State Park, near Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, ASW will offer 24 unique races and other competitive events over the course if one very busy week.

In the latest press release from even organizers, it was announced that have reduced the entry fees for the adventure races and orienteering course in an effort to make them more affordable for the competitors. Race Director David Adlard says “We wanted to do something so that folks can come and race even in this tough economy, so we lowered the price of the Adventure Races and the Orienteering meet to make them more affordable.”

This is good news for the AR community, which is having a tough year, with a number of events being put on hold until 2010, and some dropping off the schedule altogether. The economic climate has been challenging for all of us, and it's a nice gesture by the ASW crew to make their event more accessible to those who want to compete.

In addition, they've also announced that adventure racing legend Robyn Benincasa will be on hand to promote Project Athena, a non-profit organization she helped start that offers women with breast cancer, or other medical conditions, the opportunity to pursue their athletic and adventure dreams. Robyn, along with one of the recipients of an "Athenaship" will be racing, alongside two members of the media, in the event. If you're a member of the media, and would like to join the team, drop David an e-mail at dave@adventuresportsweek.com to submit your application. Hmm... am I considered a member of the media?

In addition to Robyn, Adventure Sports Week has an outstanding list of endurance athletes who will be on hand. Dean Karnazes is in, as is Team Nike captain Mike Kloser and former teammate Ian Adamson. The "Queen of Pain" Rebecca Rusch will put in an appearance as well, rounding out the all-star cast.

To check out all the events, and register for a race or three, click here. There really is something for everyone, and it promises to be a great time.

Ten Great American Bike Trails

Forbes Traveler is back with another top ten list, this time offering up their picks for ten great America bike trails.

The trails that make the list come in a wide variety of lengths and styles. There are short trails, requiring only hours to complete, while others will stretch in length for days. Some of these are designed for road bikes for those looking to cruise, while others are technical and demanding, just the thing for the mountain bike crowd. The trails stretch across the country, and offer a variety of scenery as well.

Some of the routes that make the list include the popular Slickrock Trail in Moab, which is just 12 miles in length, but can require as much as 8 hours to complete depending on your skill level. For intermediate riders, they offer up the Katy Trail, found in Missouri, that stretches 225 miles along the Missouri River, in the path of an abandoned railroad line. And for the truly adventurous there is the Trans-America trail, which runs coast to coast from Yorktown, Virginia to Astoria, Oregon, a distance of more than 4247 miles.

With spring officially here, it's time to dust off the bike and head out on your favorite trail of choice. Perhaps one of the trails on the list runs near your place or better yet, maybe the story will inspire you to ride one of the longer ones yourself. Put some air in the tires, and get out on the road.

Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike Race Begins Tomorrow!

The Absa Cape Epic mountain bike race gets underway tomorrow in South Africa, with top riders from around the globe preparing to face off against one another in an eight day event that crosses more than 685km (426 miles) of African backcountry along the Western Cape. Racers will compete as teams of two, entering in the mens, womens, mixed (coed), and masters categories.

The race officially begins with a time trial prologue tomorrow that will have the riders battling it out to the top of Table Mountain, the iconic and dramatic, backdrop to Cape Town that is more than 3560 feet in height. Teams will be staggered in 30 second intervals as they head out on to the course hoping to reach the top in the fastest time.

On Saturday the race will have its first full stage, with six more to follow, that will put the riders out on true mountain bike trails. Over the course of the week they'll climb over 14,660 meters (48,097 feet) as they cover stages that range in length from 60km (37 miles) to 114km (70 miles). Judging from stage profiles on the course page, I'd say that the shorter stages make up for the difference in length with more challenging climbs.

All told there are over 600 teams signed up for this great event. It's going to be quite an endurance challenge for everyone involved, and they'll be racing through some of the best scenery anywhere in Africa as well. What a great place to ride, and South Africa has really become one of the top spots in the world for adventure sports events.

Thanks to Lisa over at AR.co.za for sending this my way. Both Lisa and I would like to let everyone know that we're looking for a sugar daddy and a sugar momma respectively to fund our entries into all these great events. ;)

And as a side note, this post marks my 3000th entry into the Adventure Blog. I think I need to get a life. :)

Absa Cape Epic: Stage 3 Done!

The Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike race is through three stages, and seems to be living up to its reputation as one of the most challenging events of its kind any where in the world. In this case, the race is held in South Africa, with competitors racing through some of the most beautiful, but technically demanding terrain in that country.

After three stages, the two man team of Songo.info, consisting of Swiss rider Christoph Sauser and local boy Burry Stander of South Africa. They hold a nearly seven minute lead over second place team, Bulls, made up of Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm, both of Germany. Bart Brentjens from the Netherlands and Chris Jongewaard from Australia, who together make up Team Trek-Brentjens, are in third place, another 4+ minutes back. In the Ladies division, Sharon Laws of the U.K. and South Africa's Hanlie Booyens hold the overall lead, while team Absa Masters, consisting of Doug Brown of South Africa and Bärti Bucher from Switzerland are in charge in the Master's division. Finally, Adidas Big Tree, with Nico Pfitzenmaier from South Africa and Alison Sydor of Canada, are leading the coed Mixed division.

Stage Four consists of a long 111km (69 mile) route through some very rocky terrain that will test the nerves of the riders and shake their confidence early on. The stage is marked with demanding climbs, followed by crazy drops, that will eventually put them into a dense forest, as the trail narrows to twisty single track that will surely be a challenge for the wary teams.

The "Queen of Pain", Rebecca Rusch is on hand for the race and competing in the Mixed category, along with Matthew Weatherley-White, as part of Team Specialized / Red Bull. She's also blogging the whole experience, which you can read here. She has several posts up talking about her arrival in South Africa, riding the Prologue, and the first few stages. It's an excellent read with some good insights on what's going on in the race.

Adventure Week: Two More Endurance Legends Added

The roster of endurance athletes coming to Adventure Sports Week 2009 continues to grow with the addition of Rebecca Rusch and Michael Emde to the already impressive list of names that will be on hand at Farragut State Park near Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho this June.

Rusch, who has earned the nickname "the Queen of Pain", has an extensive and impressive resume in the world of outdoor adventure sports. She has raced in, and won, adventure races all over the world, and has become one of the best endurance mountain bike athletes as well. She will be taking part in the Mad Dash 8-hour mountain bike ride, as well as the Crux and the Crucible Adventure Race, and one of several orienteering events too.

Emde is the winner of the Furnace 508, and endurance cycling event that runs for 500+ miles through Death Valley every year. He has also competed on an international level in a number of other cycling events as well, and will be riding in the Mad Dash race as well.

These two talented athletes will join the likes of Mike Kloser, Ian Adamson, Robyn Benincasa, and Dean Karnazes in Idaho this summer. Adventure Sports Week will run from June 5 through the 14 and will offer outdoor athletes "10 days, 24 races, 1 great party". Looks like it'll be an amazing week!

Jeff Oatley Wins 2009 Iditarod Trail Invitational

While the Iditarod Sled Dog race got underway this past weekend, another Alaskan classic, the Iditarod Trail Invitational, also known as the "Idita-bike". This annual event has the competitors following the same trail as the mushers, but they race along on foot, mountain bikes or skis instead, and can tackle either a 350 mile course or the full 1100 miles of the Iditarod trail.

Mountain biker Jeff Oatley was the first to complete the 350 mile course, crossing the finish line on Saturday, with a time of 5 days, 19 hours and 34 mins. Tracey and Jay Petervary, who tied for second with a time of 6 days 5 hrs 28 min. You can check the full results on the leaderboard page, which has current standings for all who have finished, and for the few that will now continue on to Nome. Most of there racers will finish up in McGrath, the 350 mile point, but a handful, roughly three or four, will have a go at the full 1100 mile course. They are moving forward on skis or on foot, but none are continuing on their bikes.

In a related story, an Australian competing in the race, was rescued from the trail on Saturday after getting lost early last week. The 53 year-old went down the wrong trail last Tuesday, ended up breaking through ice on a river, and soaking himself, before managing to pull himself, and his bike from the water. Eventually he found a snow cave and holed up until he was rescued. Scary story with a good ending for once. He could have easily died of hypothermia out there in the wilderness.

Thanks to Andrew Felix who sent this story to me via Twitter.