The Raid Bimbache is back after a three-year hiatus and the South African adventure racing team, Cyanosis, will be there to take it on. The this race returns for the first time since hosting the Adventure Racing World Championships (ARWC) in 2010, where Team Cyanosis finished in a credible 13th position.
The Raid Bimbache forms part of the Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS) and this year will cover 570km of tough terrain in the Catalunya region of north-eastern Spain. Twenty-one international teams of four-persons have entered the race from a variety of countries including Colombia, France, Switzerland, the UK, Ireland, Slovenia, Denmark and Sweden, including other strong competitors that will challenge Team Cyanosis’ goal of finishing on the podium.
Cyanosis is fielding a strong team comprising team captain Clinton Mackintosh with Jane Swarbreck, Nathan Thompson and navigator Nicholas Mulder. Both Nicholas and Clinton competed in the World Championships three-years ago when it was held in central-western Spain. They are eager to return to this beautiful country for an enjoyable race. The team members are all in good shape after strong performances in local South African trail running, kayaking and adventure races. Cyanosis finished fourth at the South African event in the ARWS, Expedition Africa, which was held in the Drakensberg in May.
This year the Raid Bimbache starts and finishs in the town of Playa D’Aro, on the Costa Brava. The region allows the race to take in coastal scenery with beaches and rocky cliffs that drop into the sea. The foothills of the Pyrenees are nearby, so the team expects the race to feature plenty of ascent – up to 3000-metres above sea level.
Although the region is famous as a tourist destination, this isn’t going to be any old holiday for Cyanosis. The race course includes 380 kilometres of mountain biking, 130 kilometres on foot and 52 kilometres of kayaking. The accumulated ascent is approximately 20,000 metres! The exact course with the checkpoints will only be revealed to the teams at the race briefing on Monday evening. Via Ferrata, coasteering, snorkelling and stand-up-paddleboarding are other disciplines featured in the race. The event start is at 06h00 on Tuesday 10 September and the race winners are expected to complete the course in three- full days. There is one four-hour compulsory stop at approximately half way.
Cyanosis expects the pace to be exceptionally fast compared to some other World Series races. The weather is expected to be mild. It is the end of summer in Europe, essentially autumn, so temperature ranging from 12′ – 25’C are expected, with it getting a lot colder in the mountains.
“Overall the team is looking forward to a good result but we are apprehensive as to what the race will hold,” says team captain Clinton Mackintosh. “The communication from the race organisation leading up to the race has been sketchy, less than three weeks ago we were unsure if the race was going ahead… Be that as it may we are booked and leave tonight for an early start on Tuesday.”
He says that the race book indicates 19,995 meters of elevation gain. “One can only hope that in a race expected to take three days to finish that this is a typo,” he adds. “We are all managing our gear very carefully as the airline allowance we have been told is very strict.”
“Let’s hope that the shortfalls experienced during our last ARWC in Spain are lessons well learned and that we have a good race this time round.”
The race will feature live tracking of the teams, who will be carrying a GPS transponder. For more details, visit the race website at
or follow on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/bimbache.arwc
Team Cyanosis is proud to have the following sponsors supporting them:
– First Ascent outdoor apparel, Foodstate vitamins, Salomon footwear, Petzl headlamps, Form and Fitness sports supplements, Specialized bikes and accessories, Concept Cyclery in Melrose Arch and Race Food nutrition.