|
 |
07-Sep-2010 12:16:27 |
 |
ECOMOTION/PRO 2009: THE MOST CHALLENGING EVER |
| 01-Dec-2009 10:56:23 |
| |
Brazilian Quasar Lontra won Ecomotion/Pro for the second time since the race started seven years ago. The team is the only national quartet to beat the international teams ever in Ecomotion/Pro. The team comprised Rafael Campos, Erasmo Cardoso, Tessa Roorda and Rodrigo de Souza
Quasar Lontra first won in Serra do Dendê/2004. Previous winners were Merianoraid.com/Chapada Diamantina 2003, Buff Nike AG/Serras Gaúchas 2005, Team Sole/Paraty 2006, Buff Coolmax/Búzios 2007 and Orion Health/AR World Championships Rota das Emoções 2008. The race, which is part of the AR World Series, shared US$ 30 thousand prize money, US$ 17 thousand for the winner, who also qualifies for the AR World Championships 2010 in Spain. The event brought together 31 teams with athletes coming from 10 different nations.
“The biking and trekking sessions were very technical, and so was the orienteering, which offered many different solutions. It was important also to know to read the river properly… I am sure the most complete adventure racing team won here”, said Said Aiach, organizer of the race.
Ecomotion/Pro 2009 was held in six days (22-27 November) in the state of Minas Gerais, in the beautiful mountains of Serra do Espinhaço, the only mountain range in Brazil, and Serra do Cipó. The site was claimed by UNESCO National Reserve of Biosphere, with the highest number of endemic flora in Brazil. The 470km long course was the most challenging ever in Ecomotion. Words from Paul Romero, who has been racing in Brazil for a long time and with Team Sole won Ecomotion/2006.
“It was a great race, the most difficult in any Ecomotion and one of the hardest I´ve experienced”, says Romero, who joined Team Oskalunga International this year with Frederico Gall (BRA), Karen Lundgreen (USA) and Mikael Lindnord (SUE) to get the 3rd place this year. “Organization was simply great and I thank all volunteers and all people we met along the way for this experience”, he adds.
Second team to cross the finish line was Adventure Camp Repelex, which featured Ian Edmond (NZL), Nora Audrá (BRA), Mateus Ferraz (BRA) and Sergio Zolino (BRA) in the lineup.
“I lost my dad a couple of months ago and decided to give myself a present: race Ecomotion again. But the gift happened to be better than I could expect, with this beautiful race and healthy fight for the first place”, says Zolino.
“I was surprised to race in Brazil away from the sea! The country has wonderful locations for adventure races and the course was very challenging. It was really interesting to see the walls built inside the river by the gold searchers from the past centuries… The kayak session was hard and although it was a bit disappointing to be caught by the dark zone, it was necessary for security reasons. At least Quasar Londra also couldn´t continue until next day”, says Edmond.
Racing in a all-Brazilian team, Ian Edmond remembers the funniest moment of the course:
“We were trying to get as close as possible to Quasar Lontra before the ropes and the last kayak. The trekking was very technical and I heard all this talking between them. I felt there was unnecessary talking and said: ´Listen guys, stop talking otherwise I will start running fast´. They didn´t shut up… And so I started running!”, Edmond smiles.
Capitain Rafael Campos, from Quasar Lontra, said to be one of the best Brazilian adventure racers ever, was the only remaining athlete from the 2004 winning team.
“People say the first time you never forget… but the second one is also very special. We tried to do your race and the orienteering was hard. We got lost for four hours in the second bike session. Our win this year shows the high level of the Brazilian teams”, says Campos. “It was one of the most beautiful and hardest race I ever took part”, agrees Campos with Romero and Edmond.
THE COURSE: The race started at Serra do Cipó, in front of the huge Juquinha Statue. From there teams went for a 29km trekking until they reach the village of Lapinha, where they got their bikes for 17km until the river Cipó. There the 60km kayak session started. A new trekking session (60km) lead the teams to Tabuleiro, where they passed by the hightest waterfall in Brazil (Tabuleiro, over 230m high). The second stage of mountain biking (62km) went to Costa do Sena, from where the athletes left by trekking (18km) to CP 10, at the astonishing Funil Canyon. At Presidente Kubitschek, the transition was for bike (55km). Teams then arrived at the bottom of the Itambé Mount (highest in the area), in the small city of Santo Antônio do Itambé. A new leg of very technical trekking (38km) left the teams at São Gonçaldo do Rio das Pedras. From this point they caught their bicycles for a 48km session to Curralinho, followed by 1,8km trekking to the ropes (70m rapel) at Salitre, where they also did the caving.
After this session, the teams walked 3km back to Curralinho to get their bikes (an amazing 16km long downhill) to reach the Ponte do Acaba Mundo (bridge of the end of the world!), crossing the Jequitinhonha river, with level 4 rapids. For security reasons, dark zone was necessary from 17h to 5h. Quasar Lontra missed the window for 11 minutes. The next kayak session had 30km until the city of Mendanha, from where they left for the last trekking stage (19km) towards Biribiri and then 15km bike ride to the end of the course. The finish line was at the main square in Diamantina, and historic city from the colonial period.
Ecomotion/Pro 2009 was sponsored by Petrobras, Vivo, GOL, Timberland and the Government of Minas Gerais.
1. Quasar Lontra/BRA
2. Adventure Camp Repelex/BRA-NZL
3. Team Oskalunga International/BRA-USA-SUE
4. Trotamundo BMG/BRA
5. Medilast Sport/ESP
6. Timberland Selva Kailash/BRA
7. Competition Aroeira/BRA
8. Cosa Nostra Salomon/BRA
9. Trek Uruguay/URU
10. Papaventuras/BRA |
| |
| |
|
|
