With the Yukon River Quest starting today…we felt the following tips on endurance paddling were appropriate. The tips by Paul Cox appeared in our May 2010 issue.

Love to paddle and curious about long distance events? Well, there can be too much of a good thing — if you’re not prepared. Follow these five tips to increase your chances of finishing a long race and have fun doing it.

Pick a boat you can go the distance in. The “fastest” boat might not really be the fastest in a long race. Comfort over the long haul can translate into speed. With a stable boat, you likely will find you can use proper paddling technique longer. And when you have to reach for that tasty snack late in a race, you’re less likely to take a dip in the pond. So, if you’re new to the sport, you might want to opt for a hearty sea kayak with plenty of secondary stability rather than a sleek surf ski.

Train in your race-day boat. It’s best not to show up on race day in a boat you’re unfamiliar with, if you can help it. Your derriere is most likely to suffer the most when it has to conform to an unfamiliar position for hours on end. Problematic pressure points might not reveal themselves immediately. But, you’ll be able to find them if you spend plenty of time in the saddle before the starting gun goes off. Plus, you’ll want to be familiar with how to quickly fix items like rudder cables if they loosen or break during the event. The same goes for the paddle you will use. Whether it’s a wing blade or a flat-bladed paddle, train with it so you can learn to get the most power from good technique. Find a friend to video tape your paddling from the front, back and side. Watching yourself will help you find hitches in your technique.

Cover up. Since you’ll obviously be on the water, you’re likely to find yourself spending nearly all your time exposed to the wind and sun. So, cover your arms, legs and neck with clothing that will block UV rays and keep your skin from getting painfully burned without trapping too much of your body heat. Use plenty of waterproof sun block, too. Yeah, you might look like a white-faced mime out there, but you’ll be happy later. I didn’t take the time to apply lip balm during the Yukon River Quest and could barely talk after the race. And oh, the post race pictures! Every smile for the camera was immediately followed by a painful-looking grimace.
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On July 11th, GearJunkie.com will host a one-day-only Treasure Hunt event in a wilderness park near Roanoke, Va. More than $40,000 in outdoor gear — from backpacks to kayaks — will be given away to an estimated 300 participants. The event will essentially be an adventure race or off-trail orienteering race. Flags will be hidden in the wilderness. Participants earn points for each flag found. At the end, they can cash in at “gear central” to claim prizes from dozens of outdoors companies. Full information on the event is here: www.gearjunkie.com/treasure-hunt-roanoke

Below is a pic that appeared on the Gear Junkie site today of just a few of the gear prizes up for grabs.

The 12th annual Yukon River Quest is set to start at noon tomorrow in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. At last count, there were 84 teams (188 paddlers) from all over the world slated to take part in this year’s event. Aside from Canadian and US participants, the race field will be made up of racers from Australia, Austria, Great Britain, Finland, France, and South Africa.

The Yukon River Quest is the longest annual canoe and kayak race in the world. Except for two mandatory rest stops totaling 10 hours, paddlers race non-stop over approximately 740 kilometers (460 miles) from Whitehorse to Dawson City. Held annually in the north during the last week of June (around the summer solstice), it is a true “Race to the Midnight Sun”. The YRQ is widely recognized now as one of the toughest ultra marathon paddling events on the planet, where the world’s best paddlers gather to compete.

Check back on our site tomorrow for tips for endurance paddling by former YRQ participant, Paul Cox.

Best of luck to this year’s field of racers!

I recently took a day trip through the Black Hills of South Dakota via horse. It was beautiful. Now, I have lived in the Black Hills for a while, done a few hikes in my time, and felt that I had experienced the beauty of even some of the most remote areas in the Black Hills. This was all until I decided to take a trail ride. Perhaps I feel this way because I enjoy both horses and the outdoors, but I have to believe there are plenty of people out there like myself that would, at times, prefer to be a passenger instead of having to hike a strenuous trail to see great views. Riding a horse allows you to do just that, take in the scenic views, smell the pine trees, flowers and even take some photos. All while we toted around on hidden trails.

This particular ride took us through the Black Hills National Forest, where we weaved down meadows, up hills and trotted through creeks. Every turn on the long trail led us to something more beautiful. The only sound to be heard was the sounds of birds and horse hooves, cracking branches and pine cones below. The day was absolutely perfect, as many of them are this time of year in the Black Hills. Not too hot and not a cloud in the sky.

Needless to say, I had the time of my life!

If you are planning a trip to the Black Hills and have any interest in seeing more of the outdoors than just what you may see from your car window, think about going horseback. I promise. You will not regret it.

The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge retains its traditional end of season slot while changes to the course itinerary and registration fee bring added appeal.

In keeping with the practice established over the last three years, the 2010 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge keeps its December winter slot thanks to the warm Arabian weather found in the emirate at that time of year. This year’s event – the fourth in the series – will take place across the emirate from 10th to the 15th December, slightly later than last year. The six-day endurance race, which places the emphasis on camaraderie and culture, will again start with a triathlon-style prologue in and around the modern, cosmopolitan core of downtown Abu Dhabi City.

However, in contrast to previous years, the teams will then transfer by bus to the Oasis City of Al Aïn, in the East of the emirate, for a confrontation with the rugged outcrops of the Jebel Hafeet mountain range. Next, travelling East to West, they will traverse the vast expanse of the Rub’ al Khali, one of the world’s largest deserts with its rolling 200 metre high dunes, ending the race with a final sea kayaking section back to the finishing line in Abu Dhabi city. This is the first time the race will start and finish in the United Arab Emirate’s capital.

Since its inception in 2007, the race has been hugely successful in revitalizing the sport of Adventure Racing by attracting powerful newcomers from around the globe to compete against seasoned, high-profile squads. In addition to this range of innovative incentives for rookies, this year an “early bird” registration fee has been introduced for the first time. Any team that registers and pays before the end of July will benefit from a €500 reduction on the normal rate of €2,500.

Live race coverage and information at www.abudhabi-adventure.com

Via press release

Never heard of them before the event, but I can tell you this… I like them! They have a huge variety of cycling gear, but what is most remarkable about them is that they really cater to casual riders and commuters. Not everybody is looking to polish themselves up in advertisement laden spandex. Whether you are riding to the gym for a spin class, or getting a quick afternoon ride around the block, you can throw on some casual riding shorts with a bit of padding to keep things cozy. However, if you check out the AeroTech website, you will find something for even the most competitive athletes. Check out the video showcasing some of their products at the Sea Otter Classic
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By any measuring stick, the 37th annual Western States 100-mile Endurance Run on Saturday, June 26 was one of the most memorable days in the history of the world’s most prestigious 100-mile trail race.

For starters, Geoff Roes, 34, of Juneau, Alaska, shattered Scott Jurek’s six-year-old course record, surging past Anton Krupicka over the final 10 miles to post a winning time of 15 hours, 7 minutes and 4 seconds. Jurek’s old course record was 15:36.

Krupicka, 26, of Boulder, Colo., battled Roes early, then waged a back-and-forth duel with Spain’s 22-year-old trail wunderkind, Kilian Jornet. After surging away for good from Jornet near the 80-mile mark, Krupicka held on for second place in 15:13 after Roes’ decisive move near the 90-mile Brown’s Bar aid station. Jornet finished third in 16:04.

For Roes, it was his seventh career win in seven 100-mile starts. He has set course records in six of his seven 100-mile victories. His victory over Krupicka marked the first time that Krupicka had not won an estimated 15 ultramarathons he has started and finished.

In the women’s race, Garneau, 41, of Vernon, British Columbia, overcame snowy conditions in the high country that numbed her foot. Once she checked out of the Robinson Flat aid station at mile 30, however, Garneau took control of the race, winning in her first start ever at Western States in 19:01:55. Ageless Meghan Arbogast, 49, of Corvallis, Ore., finished second in a strong 19:15, while previous three-time women’s champion Nikki Kimball, 39, of Bozeman, Mont., finished in third in 19:23.

In all, a record 328 runners from a start list of 426 finished the race in under 30 hours – the race’s absolute time limit. Also, a record 123 runners broke 24 hours, eclipsing the previous mark of 106. Runners start from Squaw Valley, Calif., and climb 18,000 feet and descend 21,000 feet on their way to the finish in Auburn, Calif. Continue Reading

Bike for sale

What kind of bike? I don’t know, I’m not a bike scientist. What I am though is a manly guy looking to sell his bike. This bike is made out of metal and kick ass spokes. The back reflector was taken off, but if you think that deters me from riding at night, you’re way wrong. I practiced ninja training in Japan’s mount Fuji for 5 years and the first rule they teach about ninja biking is that back reflectors let the enemy know where you are. Not having a rear reflector is like saying “FUCK YOU CAR, JUST TRY AND FIND ME”.

The bike says Giant on the side because it’s referring to my junk, but rest assured even if you have tiny junk that Giant advertisement is going to remain right where it is. I bought this bike for 300 dollars from a retired mercenary that fought in both World War 1 and World War 2 and had his right arm bitten off by a shark in the Phillipines while stationed there as a shark handler. When he sold it to me I had to arm wrestle him for the honor to buy it. I broke his arm in 7 places when I did. He was so impressed with me he offered me to be his son but I thought that was sissy shit so I said no way.

The bike has some rusted screws, but that just shows how much of a bad ass you are. Everyone knows rusted screws on a bike means that you probably drove it underwater and that’s bad ass in itself. Those screws can be replaced with shiny new ones, but if you’re going to go to that trouble why not just punch yourself in the balls since you’re probably a dickless lizard who doesn’t like to look intimidating.

The bike is for men because the seat is flat or some shit and not shaped like a dildo. If you like flat seated bikes you’re going to love this thing because it doesn’t try to penetrate your ass or anything.

I’ve topped out at 75 miles per hour on this uphill but if you’re just a regular man you’ll probably top it out at 10 miles per hour. This thing is listed as a street bike which is man-code for bike tank. The bike has 7 speeds in total:

Gear 1 – Sissy Gear
Gear 2 – Less Sissy Gear
Gear 3 – Least Sissy Gear
Gear 4 – Boy Gear
Gear 5 – Pre-teen Boy Gear
Gear 6 – Manly Gear
Gear 7 – Big Muscles Gear

I only like gear 6 and 7 to be honest.

Additionally, this tool of all immense men comes with a gigantic lock to keep it secure. The lock is the size of a bull’s testicles and tells people you don’t fuck around with locking up your bike tank. It tells would-be-thieves “Hey asshole, touch this bike and I’ll appear from the bushes ready to club you with a two-by-four”.

Bike is for 150 OBO (and don’t give me no panzy prices)

* it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 765370039

It’s that time of the year! The last weekend of June is here and it is time for one of the oldest ultra running events in the world…The Western States 100.

The Western States Endurance Run is one of the oldest ultra trail events in the world and certainly one of the most challenging.

The WS100 will take participants along the Western States Trail starting at Squaw Valley, California, and ending in Auburn, California, a total of 100 miles. The trail climbs more than 2,500 vertical feet in the first 4.5 miles up to Emigrant Pass. From there, racers will climb another 15,540 feet before descending close to 23,000 feet.

The competitors of the WS100 have 32 hours to complete the race to be eligible for the race belt buckle! The race starts at 5am on Saturday morning!

Good luck to all those participating in this year’s WS100!

For three rugged days beginning Friday, June 25, nine teams of five athletes—three able-bodied and two disabled athletes, many of whom are wounded veterans—will compete in the fourth annual “Adventure TEAM Challenge,” hosted by World T.E.A.M. Sports in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The Adventure TEAM Challenge incorporates rafting, hiking, climbing and biking under adverse conditions.

Conceived by Erik Weihenmayer, the first visually impaired individual to climb Mt. Everest, the event kicks off Friday morning, June 25, with the teams rafting the unpredictable waters of the Arkansas River, surrounded by towering 14,000-foot peaks of the Sawatch Mountain Range. The following two days will take the athletes deep in the remote Rocky Mountain range south of Leadville, Colo., where they will hike and climb dramatic peaks and bike through beautiful alpine meadows before completing the race on Sunday, June 27, 2010.

“The Adventure TEAM Challenge is another of our events that brings together disabled and able-bodied athletes to promote teamwork, build camaraderie and inspire hope,” said Jeff Messner, President of World T.E.A.M. Sports. “The number and capabilities of those participating in this challenge proves that exceptional athletes do matter and that people of all abilities can do the impossible.”

While some participants for the Adventure Team may be well known, such as Eric Weihenmayer, he is competing with and against some other amazing individuals, such as:
• Sarah Will, a skier who was paralyzed from the waist down in 1988, was a four-time Paralympian who has won 12 Paralympic gold medals and one silver medal throughout her career;
• Matt Nyman, a veteran who lost his leg in a helicopter crash in Iraq, did off road triathlons, mountain biking, snow skiing before his injury. Matt has returned to mountain climbing to meet his athletic goals and has attempted to climb Mt. Denali.
• Clarissa Olivares-Pozgaj, a 15 year-old girl who is wheelchair-bound with Arthrogryposis—a rare congenital disorder that causes multiple joint contractures and is characterized by muscle weakness and fibrosis—will be pulled by her father in a custom carriage.

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The May numbers are available for the USARA National Rankings.

Presented By:

June 10, 2010

TEAM NAME/ POINTS
1. Trakkers 203.00
2. Berlin Bike 177.00
3. Werewolves of Austin 129.00
4. HoustonAdventureRacing.com/Hammer Nutrition 105.00
5. Eastern Mountain Sports 104.00
6. Checkpoint Zero/inov-8 100.00
7. Team Granite AR 88.00
8. iM.O.A.T. 87.00
9. Vignette 87.00
10. HFAR Knights (of Ni) 82.00

The 2010 Equinox Traverse took place a few weeks ago in Virginia.  Here is a selection of images from that event.

RAID ENDURANCE ADVENTURE
June, 2010

Petit Saguenay, Quebec

Nearly 55 teams made their way to the picturesque Saguenay region in Northern Quebec for the EnduranceAventure.com RAID, the first of the 2010 series. Daniel Poirier’s organizing team put together a challenging course with over 16 checkpoints that had the participants run, mountain bike, kayak, swim and perform a tyrolian traverse with their bikes before reaching the finish line in the small village of Petit Saguenay .

A tight battle took place as several teams exchanged the lead over a course that featured nearly 3000 feet of vertical gain. In the end, after a race that lasted nearly 6 hours, it was the experienced team of Mundial St-Raymond that crossed the line first, narrowly edging out last year’s winner, Quilicot-RackUltra. Teams Xtrail Asics quickly followed, whereas the Glenners and Team Salomon rounded out the top 5, crossing the line only a few minutes apart.

The race began at 8am under a slight drizzle with all teams blasting through the first of several mountain bike legs. An early selection was made coming out of the initial transition as the top teams scattered up a steep climb and stumbled through a rushing stream to reach the first few checkpoints. Back on the bikes, the racers blitzed their way to the shore of the Saguenay Fjord for the kayaking leg. Quilicot took advantage of a swift transition and strong paddling skills to establish a 5 minute gap on the chasers. Back on terra firma, the racers had to climb a 3km hike-a-bike section to the summit of the fjord. A checkpoint on the opposite side of a lake had the participants deciding on whether they should swim across or remain dry by running along the shore. By the time they made it back down the fjord, only seconds separated the top five teams. Another severe hillclimb and descent later was enough to turn the race on its head. The Glenners had then moved into the lead during a river run and managed to disappear through the woods by attacking on a steep climb. Quilicot having dropped down to fourth, fought hard to climb back into second place and worked to bring the leaders back in sight. In the meantime, teams Mundial, Xtrail and Salomon kept in hot pursuit. The next section consisted of a tyrolian traverse with the bikes, and the first team to make it to the ropes was clearly going to have an advantage of several minutes coming out. Team Quilicot foresaw it, so they accelerated by sprinting to a nearby river crossing and pedaled up the hill. The Glenners opted instead to drop their bikes, run across the river and scramble up a near-vertical hill to the tyrolian platform. It turned out that the Glenners’ strategy was riskier but slightly quicker, allowing them to zip across the river first. The race far from over though, as the racers were still required to climb two more mountains. On the first, the Glenners, Quilicot and Salomon teams all veered off course, giving away their hard fought lead to team Mundial and allowing X-Trail to believe again in their podium chances.
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By Kraig Becker

I have a confession to make. I have a really bad habit when I travel. One that I am reluctant to share. It seems, almost without fail, I always end up leaving a piece of gear behind at the places I visit, and invariably, it tends to be my headlamp. Don’t ask me why, it just does. Because of this little travel idiosyncrasy, I always find myself shopping for a new light right before I head off on a major trip.

This was the case recently when I was preparing to go to Nepal to make the trek to Everest Base Camp. I knew that I’d need something that could light my way around the villages and teahouses in the night, perhaps do some reading before bed, and of course light the way on the trail should we find ourselves caught out after dark. After shopping around a bit, I got my hands on a new Black Diamond Icon headlamp, and while I was put off by the size at first, I soon found that it’s advantages far outweighed any qualms I had about it’s larger footprint.

I’ll talk about the size of the Icon first, mostly because it was the first thing I thought about when I took it out of the package. The actual headlamp is quite small and actually isn’t much different from similar lights from competitors. But while most of my previous headlamps stored their batteries inside the lamp itself, the Icon has a separate battery pack that fits at the back of the straps and rests on the back of your head while worn. That battery pack is what gives the Icon its size, but it also proves to be its strength as well.

The Icon is powered by three “AA” batteries (or an optional rechargeable battery pack), which translate into plenty of bright light while out on the trail. Better yet, Black Diamond designed this headlamp to be very efficient in its battery use, and after hours of operation, I haven’t seen much degradation in brightness yet.
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It was the handlebar that originally caught my eye, but upon closer inspection, there was something new going on with the bottom bracket as well. Though not designed for off-road use it looks like they came up with a simple solution for many commuters and casual riders. Stoked on the easy maintenance of the two speed bottom bracket and how it can be used with any shifter (as opposed to other systems (LIKE ROHLOFF) that uses a proprietary design that is not ideal). Back to the handlebar – BEAUTIFUL design, kind of looks like an upside down OnOne Mary Bar and can’t wait to try it out on my singlespeed 29er. Check out the video for more.

Some pretty solid products coming from the innovative folks at Cyclelogical. Stopped by their booth to check out a few of their latest –

As bicycle commuters, we see a need for durable, versatile, and practical commuting gear. After researching the existing market extensively, we found absolutely nothing that matched all of our needs for practical and efficient commuting. We, then, took upon ourselves to develop our own line of gear that we believe is the best out there.

Cyclelogical exists to bring the best travel and bike commuter gear to the market. Our gear will get you to and from your destination, be it the office or the grocery store, with all the right equipment and just the right amount of options, no more….no less. Cyclelogical will get you there safely and totally in style!

Our gear is made with the highest quality and most durable materials. We know, because we have researched them and tried them out. In addition, the Cyclelogical line of gear will also keep you safe and worry free on the road.

Our mission at Cyclelogical is to help the environment by keeping gasoline consumption down, sustaining a healthy mind and body, and keeping the world we live in safe for bicycle commuting everywhere.

WE ARE CYCLELOGICAL

Barefoot running continues to gain traction in the psyche of adventure sports enthusiasts. Those who create minimalist shoes are developing new technologies to help those who want to make the transition and feel the ground under their feet.

Today, Merrell and Vibram (maker of the Five Fingers® barefoot shoe) , announced an exclusive partnership to introduce an entire category of men’s and women’s barefoot shoes. The two brands want people walking to work, playing in the park and climbing a trail to understand the connection of shoe choice and health. Merrell Barefoot will be at retail next spring and is aimed to change the perceptions of the outdoor enthusiast by connecting them to the ground on which they play and strengthening their bodies with every step.

“Feet are designed to act with their natural instincts, helping us balance and feel the ground we’re walking on. But not many people are willing to walk to work, hike a trail or ride a bike completely barefoot. And most restaurants and stores won’t let you go barefoot. So, in today’s modern world, Merrell and Vibram will offer a complete collection of barefoot outdoor and lifestyle alternatives.”

The growth of the barefoot phenomena has many wondering if barefoot running is for them. With a wider market for these minimalist shoes those who want to get their feet wet will now have choices.

Tired of sweat getting in your face? YUP. Especially when I put any sunscreen on or when it starts dripping into my sunglasses and blurring my vision. Can be tricky to find a good solution that works with a helmet, but HALO just might have hit the mark. It’s made from two thin layers of Dryline fabric (a microfiber polyester that wicks and evaporates moisture while preventing growth of bacteria) and uses a thin plastic strip to direct the sweat off your face. The Sea Otter Classic saw unexpectedly great weather all weekend, sunshine every day – enough to give me a solid sunburn, and during the whole event they had their mannequin head demonstration with water constantly dripping on one head with a HALO and one without, and the HALO worked perfectly. Check out the video to see more.
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Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota is an impressive sight, but it’s even more impressive when you’re ON the sculpture! Each June, Crazy Horse Memorial and the Black Hills Volkssport Association offer a volksmarch to the top of the sculpture. This is the only time when the public is welcome to view the Crazy Horse sculpture up close. The volksmarch is a family friendly event and draws thousands of visitors and locals. The term volksmarch literally means, “walk of the people” and that is exactly what the Crazy Horse Volksmarch is.  It truly is a wonderful experience!

Learn more by watching our video of the event:

To be honest, I got these SixSIxOne shoes because they were the cheapest ones I could find at the time. I didn’t have super high expectations, but when I finally had to retire ‘em, I wanted to get the same pair. These are their bottom of the line MTB shoe and are what a casual shoe would be if it was trying to be a performance model, but from my experience they are best thought of as casual weekend warrior type shoe. As you can see from the pictures, they were used and abused and still kickin’, well, actually by the time I took those photos they were a sad sight – but they still worked.

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A California teenager who was feared lost at sea has been found safely. 16-year-old Abby Sunderland is trying to sail around the world by herself.

Yesterday, her emergency beacons began signaling, and no one was able to get in touch with her on her satellite phone. Overnight, an australian plane spotted her, and fishing boats are on the way to her location.

Rescue workers say her boat was damaged, but Sunderland is going to be fine.

RAID THE NORTH EXTREME WEST KOOTENAYS MOVING TO 2011

Organizers of Raid the North Extreme, the week-long expedition race which was to take place in the West Kootenays from September 4-12th, 2010, have decided to reschedule the race until late summer 2011, in order to take advantage of opportunities to make the event, and its impact on the region, as great as possible.

“We’re really encouraged by the support from racers, volunteers and partners for this event,” said Geoff Langford, the Race Director and owner of Frontier Adventure Sports & Training. “But we have so many opportunities with funding, television, and enthusiastic partners that repositioning the event to the summer of 2011 will really enable us to take it to the next level for all involved.”

Raid the North Extreme features adventure athletes from around North America undertaking something most people would never consider. Four person teams will test themselves in a 500 km adventure race – over 6 days, non-stop, day and night, they will mountain bike, paddle, trek, use ropes, and navigate an unmarked wilderness race course through the Kootenays.

Organizers are anticipating the announcement of a new date by the end of June, as they research other event dates globally and regionally, and analyze everything from historic weather patterns and water levels, to tourism patterns and flight schedules.

For more information, visit www.raidthenorthextreme.com, or contact Geoff at 1.888.295.8181 or geoff@raidthenorth.com.