Expedition Africa 2017

[dave303e]

kiff which team is he chasing?

 

I'm on Team Rustproof (Steve Burnett)

Jewbacca is on Team Parallel

Dave303e is on Gone Racing

KnobbyMech is on Korokoro20x

 

anyone else here?

[Shebeen]

Hi hikerbiker, did you do the quantum leap a few years back with rustproof?

YEBO! although we burned through so many chicks leading up to the race we did it with Marina Rust, so it was like i was on a family holiday.

 

now that was a storm of note!

 

 

 

[Shebeen]

YEBO! although we burned through so many chicks leading up to the race we did it with Marina Rust, so it was like i was on a family holiday.

 

now that was a storm of note!

 

 

with a 

PROPER whitewater rafting stage!

 

[Shebeen]

 

kiff which team is he chasing?

 

I'm on Team Rustproof (Steve Burnett)

Jewbacca is on Team Parallel

Dave303e is on Gone Racing

KnobbyMech is on Korokoro20x

 

anyone else here?

 

this oke is pretty tuff!!

[Breezer]

YEBO! although we burned through so many chicks leading up to the race we did it with Marina Rust, so it was like i was on a family holiday.

 

now that was a storm of note!

 

 

 

Then we have met, I was on Namaqua, we finished together. I think the photo in your sleeping bags was take by one of our team members. We met you there the morning after the rain. I was the guy that nearly died of hypothermia.

[Shebeen]

Then we have met, I was on Namaqua, we finished together. I think the photo in your sleeping bags was take by one of our team members. We met you there the morning after the rain. I was the guy that nearly died of hypothermia.

awesome, i think we all got a little bit chilly!

[Jewbacca]

this oke is pretty tuff!!

Dave and Meg smashed the race as an unfortunate pair!

 

We managed to catch them just before the Dunes on the last day, but then we were closing in hard on a few teams on that last trek!!!

 

What a race. If you guys want to see some seriously awesome footage check out the footage from the media crews.... I think you will see how it makes most other sporting events seem slightly wet blanket and dull.

[dave303e]

Dave and Meg smashed the race as an unfortunate pair!

 

We managed to catch them just before the Dunes on the last day, but then we were closing in hard on a few teams on that last trek!!!

 

What a race. If you guys want to see some seriously awesome footage check out the footage from the media crews.... I think you will see how it makes most other sporting events seem slightly wet blanket and dull.

 

You guys were absolutely hauling that last leg, stretching towrope for days, we considered chasing but it woul have been pointless. Both hit the wall a bit coming through the dunes and then just cruised in to the finish line, we made a big push trying to do legs 7,8,9,10 and 11 without stopping to sleep, in the end it did work after a roadside nap or 2, but we felt it at the end.

 

You guys and Rustproof had great races though, really well done, solidly moving foreward all the time.

 

Again an absolutely spectacular event, best EA route ever IMO...

[Jewbacca]

You guys were absolutely hauling that last leg, stretching towrope for days, we considered chasing but it woul have been pointless. Both hit the wall a bit coming through the dunes and then just cruised in to the finish line, we made a big push trying to do legs 7,8,9,10 and 11 without stopping to sleep, in the end it did work after a roadside nap or 2, but we felt it at the end.

 

You guys and Rustproof had great races though, really well done, solidly moving foreward all the time.

 

Again an absolutely spectacular event, best EA route ever IMO..

 

I agree.. The route, the scenery as well as the balance was perfect. Just as 1 contact point started breaking you were able to change it.

 

My hands took a bit of a battering but nothing unbearable. For those of us more immune to the cold there were few times in the race which were unsustainably uncomfortable.

 

Work is somewhat challenging today but luckily I am able to ease back into things and integrate slowly.

 

If anyone out there enjoys riding, hiking/trail running and a spot of paddling, the AR community is waiting to welcome you. Once you have been on an endorfin high for 6 days only then will you start to understand how absolutely RAD expedition racing is!

[dave303e]

I agree.. The route, the scenery as well as the balance was perfect. Just as 1 contact point started breaking you were able to change it.

 

My hands took a bit of a battering but nothing unbearable. For those of us more immune to the cold there were few times in the race which were unsustainably uncomfortable.

 

Work is somewhat challenging today but luckily I am able to ease back into things and integrate slowly.

 

If anyone out there enjoys riding, hiking/trail running and a spot of paddling, the AR community is waiting to welcome you. Once you have been on an endorfin high for 6 days only then will you start to understand how absolutely RAD expedition racing is!

 

Forgot my jacket at home today, stepped in dogshit on the way to the office and work with maps, so although I am still tired, still cold, still stink and still running around with map in hand this whole normal life thing is kinda the same but way more boring.

 

Boring until the left over 'Buffalo' horn comes out that is...

[Andrew Steer]

Looks seriously awesome... will increase cement uptake heading forward and keep an eye on the kinetic page - probably need some easier events to warm up to the whole AR idea first.

 

Well done to everyone who did this... much respect 

[lurkerza]

You guys are legends and I am insanely jealous!! It really looked incredible, both in terms of scenery and the efforts required to finish! Well done!

 

 

I really need to get after a few of these shorter events to experience some of this myself and maybe one day tackle the full expedition.  The navigation side of things looks tough and dot watching hardly gives you any indication of what is involved, we can see possible paths on google earth, but you guys don’t have that!  Any chance you guys would be willing to give us a break down of how that works?  What are you given to use? I read you needed to copy the CPs onto maps you were given, what else happens?

 

[Jewbacca]

 

You guys are legends and I am insanely jealous!! It really looked incredible, both in terms of scenery and the efforts required to finish! Well done!

 

 

I really need to get after a few of these shorter events to experience some of this myself and maybe one day tackle the full expedition.  The navigation side of things looks tough and dot watching hardly gives you any indication of what is involved, we can see possible paths on google earth, but you guys don’t have that!  Any chance you guys would be willing to give us a break down of how that works?  What are you given to use? I read you needed to copy the CPs onto maps you were given, what else happens?

 

We are given basic 1 in 50 000 topo maps of the area, blank and basic. The organisers have drawn in the CP's in pen and marked them on a set of 'master maps' which are taped to the wall in transition, so it is the Navigator's job to copy them down accurately on their fresh maps (which is sometimes challenging when you haven't slept)...

 

So I take a pen set (red and blue) and 2 different coloured highlighters. The pens to mark the CP's and the highlighters to mark potential routes or route ideas.

 

That is all we are given.

 

From there we join and snip the excess, place in our waterproof mapbag and use the compass we bought to nav our options from there.... It really is as simple as that.

 

dot watchers tend to forget that the 'green line' doesn't exist! hahahaha

[lurkerza]

Shot Jewbacca, really appreciate the reply! I thought it might be something along those lines. But then I guess the really tough part comes along after that in making sure you can navigate accurately using the compass.  Those topo maps have no road markings on them do they?

 

Do you start off from the CP and take a reading of the direction to go, find a landmark and then just mission off in that direction using whatever paths you come across and then get another bearing and repeat seemingly endlessly?  how diificult is it to guage how far you've gone?  There seem to be so many factors involved in the navigation aspect that can really throw you off course! This is the part that I am most scared of and totally lacking in!

 

I notice that Skylotec used a railway line to avoid a bit of a hilly section on the bike leg after the Baviaans hike. So are things like marked on the maps?  

 

One more thing - do you guys ever get see a version of the route that we see on the live tracking? Like a suggested route?

[dave303e]

the topo maps are the normal 1:50000 topo maps you get from the NGI.

there are roads and allsorts on them but not always accurate and some roads and paths change...

We never see a suggested route so you just thumbsuck it and select according to what you think will work best. Stick to roads and paths on the bikes, if you brave and it is open you can tigerline the hike legs.

As for distance estimation it is easy on a bike, you are allowed manual odometer's(no GPS allowed) and then on foot it is more estimation and tracking your position currently as you you move, unles you have a pacer but no pacer will keep count well on no sleep.

I will post some extracts from maps just now if you want...

[lurkerza]

Shot Dave, that would be amazing!