GeoQuest XPD - Australia - August 2004

[ARReports]

The GeoQuest XPD Expedition Adventure Race began August 7th, 2004 in the Australian outback. With ten transition areas and several hundred kilometers of racing, the course includes trekking, rogaining, kayaking, and mountain biking.

The GeoQuest site has good course information, a race map, and an active chat area:
http://www.xpd.com.au/

The Yahoo! OZAR group is carrying recent team reports:

...11/08/04 10:10:37am GMT - Still no news from the teams out on the trekking leg through the great barrier range. HQ expects the leaders to arrive at CP 9 around 8pm. All teams would have enjoyed a stunning sunset over the mundi mundi plains...

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/OzAR/message/343

[ARReports]

Final Race Preparations in Progress


Competitors from “Team Mille” run through first aid procedures in Sturt Park.


Broken Hill local, Clem Florence, wonders where the course might take his team at race headquarters in St Pats Hall.


XPD competitors at the Welcome briefing at Race HQ in St Pat’s Hall.

Twenty teams of four have converged on Broken Hill for XPD – Australia’s first expedition Adventure Race. Several teams have traveled from overseas to participate in the event. The race will cover 700km over 10 days, beginning and ending in Broken Hill.

“Today we conducted welcome briefings, and equipment and competency checks,” said race director Craig Bycroft. “All teams must demonstrate proficiency at first aid, navigation, and show us they have the necessary equipment before they will be permitted to race.”

On Tuesday morning the competitors will receive a course briefing, which is their first indication of where they must go to complete the race. Until this briefing the course has been secret. “The racers will spend most of Tuesday planning what route they will take, and their strategy for the race.”

"Competitors must navigate unsupported through a series of checkpoints,” said Craig. "Some parts of the race will be on mountain bike, some on foot and some in kayak.” The race beings with a 50km Mountain Bike past the Sculptures to Silverton. Racers will then head north on foot through the barrier ranges before transitioning back to the bikes for a 70km ride to Corona Station and Sturt’s Meadows.

“The race will start at the St Pat’s Hall at 9am on Wednesday. Competitors will have a police escort to the edge of town before setting off into the unknown. Interested members of the public are encouraged to visit race HQ and cheer on teams at the at the start line.

Media contact: Gareth Dyer, 0428567106
Photos and more information and: www.xpd.com.au

(thanks to Gareth for providing these stories! -ARR)

[ARReports]

XPD Teams Plan Race Tactics


XPD Competitors plan routes and strategies following the course briefing.

The twenty Australian and overseas teams competing in XPD received the course briefing this morning, after months of secrecy surrounding the event. Competitors have 24 hours to plan the route they will take and how to organise their pre-cached supplies.

“What food and equipment the teams choose to leave at the various cache points may be critical to their success or failure in the race,” said race organiser Louise Foulkes. “It could mean the difference between being a top finisher, or not finishing at all.” The race organising team will ensure team gear and food trunks and race equipment is pre-cached at the correct locations. The teams are not allowed to be supported by friends or family.

This morning the teams began pouring over the maps and course booklet that was distributed at the briefing.

“The course looks amazing,” said top adventure racer Tom Landon-Smith. “We can’t wait to get out there, but it’s going to be a long haul.” Mr Landon-Smith is part of ‘Team AROC’ who are running as hot favorites for the event, despite a bike theft setback over the weekend.

The competitors are unlikely to rest until they reach the Australian Inland Camp at the Lake Weatherall Main Weir, near Menindee in 2 – 4 days time. A compulsory 6 hour rest will be enforced at this location before teams will be able to proceed.

The course includes a few surprises, including an orienteering leg on Byjerkano Station and a GPS ‘Geo-cache’ leg where competitors will track down historical locations around Menindee using a GPS. This will be the only section where they can use this navigation aid.

The race begins at 9am tomorrow at St Pats Hall with a cycle through town, and then to Silverton via the Sculptures and Daydream Mine. Teams will then head north through the Barrier Ranges but won’t reach Eldee Station until after nightfall.

Spectator vantage points for Wednesday are:
0900 – Start at St Pat’s Hall and police escort through town.
0930 – Living Desert Sculptures
1030 - 1100 – Daydream Mine
1200 - 1300 – Silverton township

Media contact: Gareth Dyer, 0428567106

[ARReports]

XPD Racers Set Off on 700km Course


XPD competitors Prepare for the race start outside Race HQ in Crystal St.

The XPD Expedition Adventure Race began this morning at 9 am in Broken Hill. “Pre race nerves were evident amount the 20 competing teams,” said race organiser Louise Foulkes. “Everyone seemed very exited to be here, and they were keen to get underway.”

The racers received a police escort and a rousing send off from Broken Hill locals who turned out to see the spectacle. The police escort peeled off at the edge of town and the race began in earnest. Teams cycled toward to the Sculptures in Living Desert National Park before heading to Daydream Mine.


Competitors search for checkpoints at the Sculptures.


XPD Team ‘Adventure Hedonists’ try to figure out the underground map inside Daydream Mine.

Three underground checkpoints had to be punched before competitors could continue. “The mine provided a diversion not normally found in an adventure race,” Ms Foulkes said. “These kind of ‘special’ sections keep competitors thinking throughout the course.”

Teams then raced to Silverton where they dismounted from their bikes and set out on foot to Mt Umberumberka and the Mundi Mundi ruin. The rough terrain proved taxing for some teams. “A few competitors took a break on Mt Mundi Mundi to rest their feet,” said race photographer Gareth Dyer. “The spectacular views seemed to take their mind off the race for a few moments.”


Team ‘Aussie Bodies’ take a brief rest on top of Mt Mundi Mundi.


XPD teams leave the summit of Mt Mundi Mundi just before sundown.

There was no resting for the lead teams however, Team AROC in the lead as the daylight faded. “AROC have opened an hour’s lead on second placed ‘Team Mille’,” said Race Director Craig Bycroft. “’Team Giddi Up’ are one and a half hours behind Mille, but at this early stage, the race is still anyone’s.”

“A simple navigation error or equipment malfunction could cost a team several hours. Often the winning teams are the ones who make the least mistakes,” Mr. Bycroft said.

Late evening saw Teams ‘AROC’, ‘Mille’ and ‘Giddi Up’ reach Eldee station where they transitioned back to the bikes for the ride to Byjerkano overnight. The Eldee checkpoint is 95km into the race. The remaining teams are yet to reach Eldee tonight including ‘Team Tigertrek.org’ with Broken Hill local, Clem Florence.

Spectator vantage points for Thursday are:
Dawn to 1000 – Midfield teams to cross Silver city Highway between Byjerkano Station and Sturt’s Meadows (Mountain Bike)
1500 - Nightfall – Lead teams to transition from Mountain Bike to Trek at Little Topar Raodhouse

Media contact: Gareth Dyer, 0428567106
More information: www.xpd.com.au

[ARReports]

Team AROC / Mountain Designs has posted a great race review for the GeoQuest XPD race on the XPD site:

...Navigation using the 1:100,000 maps was fine though the missing or very faint tracks created a challenge particularly at night and meant that route choice decisions needed to be adjusted at various times. The 20m contours and subtle terrain with unmarked/missing tracks would have been quite tricky for less experienced navigators...

http://www.xpd.com.au/arocreview.htm

[marc bender]

Team FRED is back home from the Outback of Australia.

I want to give huge Kudo's to Craig Bycroft and his crew for an incredible job of logistics. With a very minimal crew and few volunteers, compared to most other races, this organization was 'spot on' from the very start. Instructions and helpful hints on getting to the race start helped avoid a miriad of possible tangles. Even though the teams ended up spread over hundreds of kilometers, the race staff kept up and supplies, (bike boxes and equipment boxes) were always where they were supposed to be.

Team FRED, Marc Bender and his wife, Carla, hooked up with two Aussie guys, Greg Parr and Adam Carter. This would be Adam's first expedition length race and the first time Marc and Carla have raced together in over 6 years. (Carla gets bored waiting for me.)

First adventure was when I got arrested at Melbourne Airport. Customs agents used an improper test on my E-Caps supplements and thought they contained methamphetmine. What is really ironic is that when I'm not racing, I'm an undercover narcotics officer. 90% of my job is busting speed cookers and sellers. Fortunately, after several hours in custody, I was able to show them that they were using the wrong test, so they let me go. WHEW!

11 hour drive into the outback, learning to drive on the left while dodging kangaroos. They are ATTRACTED to car headlights.

The race venue was Broken Hill, deep in the Outback. This is a very rugged area of Australia, dry, flat, barren and exotic. Lots of kangaroos, wombats, blue tongue lizards, emus and 's.

The day before the start, we were given maps and check points. We were allowd 8 small supply boxes, just enough for a little food and maybe a fresh pair of socks, to be laid out along the course. All other gear had to fit in out bike boxes. The bikes had to be assembled and disassembled before and after every bike leg.

The maps were 100,000 size and had very few contour lines. Some of the most challenging navigation I've ever had. Travelling over flat gound for 50K+ with no moon, no land marks, no roads. Shooting a single bearing for 7 hours. Using the stars. Wow. The AR gods were with us and we nailed every CP.

We lost Greg Parr at the beginning of day 3. He was 16 months out of knee surgery at the start of the race and fell badly on that knee during the hike. He bucked up through the next 70K bike but by the end his knee was HUGE and wouldn't bend.

The three of us continued on unranked, covering a few hundred Kilometers more of the incredible Outback. We felt as though we had travelled back in time to a prehistoric world. Harsh. Dry. Severe.
Entire sky eyewatering red at dusk and dawn. Bright white clouds of lifting out of hidden water holes, screaming above us. Surreal.

On day four I found a trickle of water in some rocks. Filled a water bottle and dropped in a tablet. Didn't worry too much about it after the slime I drank in Costa Rica problem free.

10 hours later my belly swelled up and a few hours after that I went into convulsive purging. What a mess! 6 hours of polluting the Outback with all my bodily fluids.

Next leg was a 24 hour hike and I couldn't keep any fluid inside me. First time I've ever had to be the one to say we aren't going on. Terrible blow to the ego.

10 more hours of deathly sick and a 12 hour sleep found me functional. Gathered up our gear and headed out with the family for a 10 day explore of Australia. Played the total tourist and had a blast.

Bottom line is I would very much recommend any race produced by Bycroft and his crew. This was their first offering of an expedition and it was obvious they had completely thought it through, pre ran the course, allowed for the unexpected. In short, they put on one extemely proffessional and exotic race.

Hope to see many of you mates down there for his next one.