Q&A With X-Alps Athletes About This Year’s Event
With the start of the Red Bull X-Alps 2009 just a little over two weeks away, several of this year’s participating athletes gave their take on strategies, the competition, the course and more.
LLOYD PENNICUIK (AUS)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
LP: I think this race is incredible and the route is really exciting with most of the famous peaks in each country.
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
LP: For me its pretty much everyone, because I have virtually no experience in the Alps.
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
LP: Eat often but not too much.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
LP: Some good flying hopefully but meeting people is always the best.
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
LP: I am really worried about maybe getting a minor injury that could put me out.
HELI EICHHOLZER (AUT1)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
HE: At first glance, the route looks quite similar to 2005 and 2007 but if you look at it in more detail the GPS tracks of the athletes will be completely different than in the previous years. Finding out new routes through new and different valleys will be a challenge for athletes who take part for the first time and also for the ‘Red Bull X-Alps-grannies’. Especially having the Matterhorn – it is one of the most famous mountains in Europe and will be a great spectacle when the pilots walk or fly around it.
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
HE: Depending on the weather conditions, all the Swiss teams, Vincent Sprüngli (FRA1), Kaoru Ogisawa (JPN1) and Toma Coconea (ROM) will be the top favourites for the race.
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
HE: To stay healthy, eating and drinking enough as much as possible to prevent exhaustion is as important as making strategic decisions. A good and a very good flight can set an enormous gap between some pilots. With good weather conditions it is very important to get enough sleep the day before to keep the brain clear during the flight. The decision to either ‘walk through the night’ or ‘rest to prepare for a perfect flight’ can be very important.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
HE: The start in my home region, Salzburg, meeting the other athletes and friends again in Salzburg, the amazing views of the Matterhorn and the challenge of it being ‘me against time and mountain’.
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
HE: Bad weather.
CHRISTIAN AMON (AUT2)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
CA: The route is very difficult this year because the turnpoint in Germany is hard to figure out.
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
CA: The Swiss guys are my favourites.
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
CA: Top secret!
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
CA: Good flight conditions.
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
CA: How long I can keep within my personal endurance level, not coming close to my limits.
JAN SKRABALEK (CZE)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
JS: I like changes; this means for me new challenges. The Matterhorn will be really interesting.
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
JS: To not make mistakes and all the time, keep moving towards Monaco.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
JS: I am looking forward to the moment when the salt water of the sea will wash my blisters.
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
JS: I am dreading making a wrong decision and getting eliminated from the race.
JOUNI MAKKONEN (FIN)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
JM: Very demanding but also very interesting!
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
JM: Make the right route decisions, near the Matterhorn for example.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
JM: Long and High flights above snow covered peaks of alps.
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
JM: I end up flying in horrible weather.
TOM PAYNE (GBR2)
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
TP: It’s really tough and really tactical. We’re going to get up close and personal with some of the most famous summits in the Alps. The turnpoint cylinders are tight and even on foot we’ll have to head off the beaten tracks to tag them. For most of the course, especially from Grossglockner to Mont Blanc there are a multitude of possible routes, picking the right one for the weather conditions will be a massive advantage, getting it wrong could put you out of the race.
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
TP: The whole field is really strong. Even the very best pilots can’t be confident that their flying skills will be enough to keep them ahead unless they’ve got the speed and endurance on the ground to back it up. Toma Coconea and Aidan Toase are a level above on the ground, but personally, I reckon Helmut Eichholzer (AUT1) is one to watch: he’s one of the elite few to have already landed on the raft in Monaco (in 2005) and he’s at the top of the game in the air as he proved at the World Championships in Mexico, where he beat Chrigel Maurer, amongst others. He’s also as fit as a butcher’s dog.
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
TP: Focussed but steady. In sprint events like mountain ultramarathons you can carry minor injuries for the ten or twenty hours to the end of the race, but it’s not sustainable day after day, night after night in the two weeks of the Red Bull X-Alps. Alex (Raymont, supporter) and I will be focused on eating and resting well during the race: you’re not just eating for energy, you’re also eating to recover – or at least slow down the inevitable damage to your system.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
TP: All of it! The sheer well of emotion on the start line in Salzburg from being part of such an event. The incredible scenery through which we’ll walk and fly. The crazy adventures that we’ll have along the way. The people we’ll meet who’ll join us to walk or fly part of the route, or just offer us use of a shower. And of course the Red Bull on the raft in Monaco: I might just add a splash of vodka!
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
TP: Injury. Something as simple as a sprained ankle could put you effectively out of the race. Finding the balance between speed and safety is going to be really tough.
MICHAEL GEBERT (GER)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
MG: If the weather is not so brilliant, its really more a mountaineering route than the last time – I like it. Also, for flying it’s not so easy, you have to cross a lot of valleys.
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
MG: I think this year is the level of the participants so high, that you can’t find one favourite. But for sure the whole Swiss gang is ‘dangerous’!
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
MG: Good training before, and a good division of manpower during the race. (But this is only my strategy before; during the race you can’t make breaks!)
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
MG: That my knees are working well!
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
MG: It’s always the same: that myself and no one else has a serious accident or something like that.
LEONE ANTONIO PASCALE (ITA2)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
LP: I think that this year’s route is probably more for athletes that fly than for athletes that walk.
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
LP: The Swiss athletes.
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
LP: There are no strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event, only the will to reach Monaco.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
LP: Is very difficult to expect something in a race with so many variables.
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
LP: The most I am dreading about this year’s race is the rain, because the more it rains the less I fly.
KAORU OGISAWA (JPN1)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
KO: Hard and tough as usual. The Matterhorn cylinder is especially small.
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
KO: Myself.
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
KO: Making big mistakes.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
KO: Keeping a good position during the race to have a chance to win.
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
KO: Muscle pain occurring during the race.
MATSUBARA MASAYUKI (JPN2)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
MM: I think it’s good, although a little tough for racers.
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
MM: Probably myself.
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
MM: Sleeping, massage and of course Red Bull!
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
MM: Hitting the road in Salzburg and climbing up Matterhorn.
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
MM: Big winds, big updrafts and long-term rainy days.
RONNY GEIJSEN (NED)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
RJ: It will be tougher than other years.
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
RJ: Martin Müller (SUI2), Alex Hofer (SUI1), Chrigel Maurer (SUI3) and Kaoru Ogisawa (JPN1).
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
RJ: Rest regularly with short breaks and sleep.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
RJ: The walks in the mountains and I hope to make beautiful, long flights.
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
RJ: To avoid all the airspaces, and to get to the cylinder turnpoints like Watzmann Grossglockner and Matterhorn, will be quite difficult.
FILIP JAGLA (POL)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
PJ: I think is more spectacular because of the start in Salzburg and first turnpiont on Gaisberg but turnpoints such as the Watzmann and Matterhorn look quite difficult. It all depends on the weather.
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
PJ: If it would be possible I’ll try save some time for relaxing, listening to music and eating good food.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
PJ: Safe landing on the blue platform in Monaco!
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
PJ: Bad weather, and endless, continuous rain.
PIERRE CARTER (RSA)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
PC: Having never done a Red Bull X-Alps before, it’s a bit hard to give an answer, but it all looks terrifying! It looks like it favours the flyers more this year, which makes for tougher walking in bad weather.
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
PC: My biggest challenge is myself. Do I have the willpower and the headspace to push through?
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
PC: I have done a fair amount of training, so I hope it’s enough to see me to halfway, and if I make that, I hope the adrenalin and James (Braid, supporter) with a large whip will see me the rest of the way. Seriously though, I’ll break up the distances into manageable chunks, with enough rest in-between.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
PC: Flying over unknown terrain, which is pretty much the whole route, and seeing where my own limits lie.
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
My knees collapsing, as my left knee is still giving me problems, and sleep deprivation.
EVGENY GRYAZNOV (RUS)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
EG: I’m very glad about this adventure!
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
EG: I don’t think about them as adversaries, but as friends.
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
EG: Not telling!
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
EV: Good weather.
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
EV: I am not dreading it, but have lots of questions about it.
ALEX HOFER (SUI1)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
AH: The route is fantastic with exciting high-mountain traverses. It offers many tactical choices guaranteeing a very thrilling race.
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
AH: I have heard a rumour, that Christian Maurer’s stakes are even higher than mine in local betting, so I am going to take him as a serious challenger! But there will still be Martin Müller (SUI2), Heli Eichholzer (AUT1), Vincent Sprüngli (FRA1), Toma Coconea (ROM).
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
AH: I see the exhaustion positively: for me, it is very okay to get exhausted once every two years!
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
AH: I am feeling well prepared for the first time. I am looking forward to the flying, the hiking, the tactics, the high-mountain traverses, my supporter, the friends. I am looking forward to July 19th when the preparations come to an end and we can finally start to play.
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
AH: To get stuck while others are flying long distances.
MARTIN MÜLLER (SUI2)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
MM: The course is really interesting, but incredibly difficult. The Matterhorn turnpoint is probably the most complex part. I recently searched for a good passage using a guide, but did not find one. The mountains are very high and I will not venture alone on a glacier, it can be terrifying, hearing cracking underfoot. There will probably many different strategies.
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
MM: The Swiss, Austrians, Vincent Sprüngli (FRA), Toma Coconea (ROM) and generally all those who have registered. Crossing the Alps by foot or paraglider, requires a lot of training. I have great respect for all of them, anything can happen during a race that long. Those who have already participated in a previous edition have a serious advantage.
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
MM: One of my sponsors is the Pharmacie Principale Life Store. I regularly give my blood to measure my oxidative stress and I am monitored by Dr. Brack who wrote a fascinating book on antioxidants. I give myself the natural food supplements that my body will claim in the superhuman effort that represents the race. I also respect my body by trying to sleep as much as possible. I did not have a single blister in 2007. I thank my feet and La Sportiva for their perfect shoes.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
MM: When one spends a few days in the mountains, things that you thought important become irrelevant.
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
MM: In no particular order: the controlled airspaces, thirst, heat, suffering, cold, wind, glaciers, the weight of the bag and rain.
CHRISTIAN MAURER (SUI3)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
CM: For us the mountains around Zermatt are very interesting. There are many (route) options to choose from and so it is the most tactical part of the 818km.
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
CM: Every athlete will be strong, so the route, tactics and weather will decide. For me the Swiss athletes and Toma Coconea (ROM) are the favourites.
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
CM: I try to go the speed that I know from training, and I will try to fly as much as possible and when I get tired we’ll make a barbeque.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
CM: To see a lot of the world and have a good time with my friend and supporter Thomas (Theurillat).
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
CM: If we have lot of rainy days and I have to walk.
RAUL PENSO (VEN)
Q: What do you think of this year’s route?
RP: It has a very interesting and strategic start, and the Matterhorn is a good choice, it’s a beautiful mountain!
Q: Who do you think are your main challengers?
RP: The three super Swiss guys and Heli (Eichholzer), the non-stop Austrian.
Q: What are your strategies for coping with the exhaustion of the event?
RP: I don’t have one still! Ask me 3 days after the race has started!
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s race?
RP: Getting to Monaco on time!
Q: What are you dreading the most about this year’s race?
RP: Letting somebody else win. It’s a tough goal, but not impossible!
Photocredits: Olivier Laugero and Vitek Ludvik/ Red Bull Photofiles
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