Over the coming weeks leading up to the 2009 edition of Primal Quest, we will be following Team nuun-FeedTheMachine as they prepare for this epic event in the Badlands of South Dakota. We will discuss their gear, training, nutrition and more from one of the top teams (the team, DART-nuun, finished 4th in 2008 PQ Montana) in adventure racing.

Meet Team nuun-FeedTheMachine:

Cyril Jay-Rayon (Team Captain):
Cyril started DART Adventure Racing (In the early years, the team was known as Dirtworld Adventure Racing Team) in 2002 with Ryan VanGorder (aka RVG) and Jean-Francois Guertin (aka Frenchy). After retiring from XC mountain bike racing in 2001, he was looking for another sport to quench his competitive spirit. He found it one day while walking through downtown Hood River, OR. “I saw all these athletes milling around a grassy knoll with all sorts of gear strewn around gear bins. I asked one of them what they were up to and he explained what adventure racing was all about and that they were about to embark on a 24 hour adventure through Hood River’s amazing terrain – as part of the Balance Bar 24 hour National series. At that point, I knew I had found my new sport. I immediately thought adventure racing was an amazing concept that combined so many sport disciplines with the added components of extreme endurance, navigation, team work, and strategy. Talk about lighting up all the senses! ” explained Cyril. The following year, he was back in Hood River to compete in his first 24 hour race with RVG and Frenchy. They were hooked for good after the race. The rest is history … they are still racing today with abandonment and child like exuberance. “I get to travel to spectacular places around the world with a team of like-minded and dedicated athletes. I can’t ask for anything more!”

Aaron Rinn:
Aaron started racing mountain bikes in 1998, and fell in love with endurance athletic competition. He tried out a sprint adventure race two years later, because it gave him the chance to branch out into running. His races kept getting longer and longer, and eventually he leaned to enjoy kayaking. In 2003 his team Saga took third in the 2003 Cal Eco Adventure Racing series behind Earthlink (now Merrell/Zanfel ) and Epinephrine (now Sole). Aaron moved to Seattle during the middle of the following year and met the DART-nuun team at a local TRIOBA race. Glenn asked him to race a 24-hour Explore the West adventure race in early 2005. This went well, so later that year Cyril asked him to the Ecomotion 2005 staged in Serra Gaúcha of Southern Brazil. This idea seemed fantastic to Aaron, so without missing a beat he answered with one word, “Yes!” He was half kidding with Cyril about how fast he answered the question. This turned out to be Aaron’s favorite race, and solidified his love for the sport. At 34, Aaron hopes to keep racing fresh and fast with DART for another 5 more years.

Ryan VanGorder:
Ryan started DART Adventure Racing (In the early years, the team was known as Dirtworld Adventure Racing Team) in 2002 with Cyril Jay-Rayon and Jean-Francois Guertin. The team was built from the ground up and has always consisted of competitive and all around good people. Whether it’s a four hour sprint race on Vancouver Island, B.C. or a week long expedition in the Outback, Ryan loves the comraderie and ability to share the numerous accomplishments with his close friends on the team. The cherry on top is that Ryan gets to share his many adventures with his wife who also is a member of DART-nuun and is always pushing him to do bigger and better things.

Tessa Roorda:
” I have always practiced physical activities and enjoyed the outdoors. Unfortunately, in Brazil this is not as common as one may think, so I used to be the crazy girl among the boys. For many years I did rock climbing with friends from my university till one day, in 2001, they invited me to try this new sport called “Adventure Racing”. They never raced again and I never stopped! In 2006, one of the top Brazilian teams, Quasar Lontra, invited me to race Portugal XPD and after that we have raced in two world championships, among many other short, medium and long races. Lately I have been trying different sports too, like street running, ultra marathons, road biking and mountain biking. Focusing on these individual sports has improved the multiple skills needed in Adventure Racing and vice versa. Thanks to the training for Adventure Racing, I was surprised to be on the podium among the Brazilian feminine elite of these sports. I first met team DART (now racing as team nuun-FeedTheMachine) when I was living in Los Angeles last year. I was studying for grad school but missed training with strong people. They invited me for a night mountain biking session in the Santa Monica Mountains and after that it didn’t take us long to do a short race together. I loved their competitive spirit, ethic, discipline and professionalism in the sport and can’t wait to race by their side at Primal Quest.”

Related posts:

1. PQ Prep in Washington-Team nuun-FeedTheMachine
2. PRIMAL QUEST TRAINING IN THE MOUNTAINS (Bring on the Elevation)-Team nuun-FeedTheMachine
3. HEAT, ELEVATION, AND A SCORPION STING-Team nuun-FeedTheMachine
4. Team nuun-FeedTheMachine interviewed during race on Saturday
5. Independence Weekend Training for Team nuun-FeedTheMachine