A woman called this past week and asked me to recommend a trail shoe brand and model to her for running Cape Odyssey in October. Instead of a recommendation, she got a lecture on choosing shoes. Trail, or “off-road”, shoes have a tread more chunky and aggressive than road shoes to increase traction.
I recently did a talk on adventure racing (AR) and a lass in the front row was glowing at slides of international adventure racing legends Mike Kloser, Ian Adamson and Nathan Fa’ave projected on the wall.
The lists below will provide a basic guide and the answer to your question, “What equipment do I need?”. Some time ago the idea was raised that adventure craft should conform to a 1:10 ratio. This means that the beam width of a craft should not be less than a 10th of its length.
Making sure that you have the right personal equipment and compulsory is absolutely essential. Working from your toes to your head, if you’re kitted out correctly, you’ll definitely be better prepared.
The BIGGEST frustration in AR for the guys on the team is usually the inability of the girl in the team to manage a MTB performance that comes close to the rock-hopping feats or death defying descents that the boys manage – I can think of more than one team that falls short (temporarily) of the 50(0) m rule on a good downhill.
A bicycle must perform three basic functions, namely: Drive the wheels forward; influence its direction of movement; and slow down. Virtually all bikes perform these functions in essentially the same manner. Pedals, chains, and gears allow force to be applied to the rear wheel.
Is the scene just too familiar? You’re out riding with your buddies, putting dirt under your tyres at a rate of knots; you’re fit, technically skilled and in your element – nothing can stop you… except for ANOTHER flat tyre! Your team is getting impatient, your rivals are waving cheerfully as they pass you.
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