Backyard Challenge VII
race info

Host: Jeff Kunkle

Date/Time: April 19, 2003. Pre-event meeting at 8:30am, mass start at 9am

Length: Approximately 5-8hrs

Start/Finish: Southwest Colorado Springs; Exit 141 of I25, West(left) on highway 24, south(left) on 21st Street (turns into Cresta Rd), west right) on Cheyenne Blvd, north(right) on Ridgeway St to parking lot for Stratton Open Space. If you get to the entrance for Cheyenne Canon and 7 Falls, you've gone a couple blocks too far. I'll be in a black Pathfinder.

Disciplines:

• Inline skating (Recently added event!)
• Mountain biking (single track, double track, maintenance roads)
• Rappelling (2 of them)
• Trekking (on and off trail)
• Navigation

Required Map: Pikes Peak Atlas, 1999 version (can be bought at REI, Mtn Chalet, GrandWest, or rei.com)

Required Gear:

• Pikes Peak Atlas map
• inline skates
• bike
• helmet for rollerblading biking and rappel
• harness
• biner/rappel device
• pen or pencil
• compass
• food/water

Optional/Suggested Gear:

• prusik for rappel
• gloves for rappel
• map case
• Topo's or additional maps
• flashlight
• spare tube
• bike tool
• bike pump
• patch kit
• emergency strobe
• first aid kit
• knife
• water purification tablets
• sunscreen
• toilet paper
• duct tape
• aspirin/electrolyte tabs
• survival blanket
• whistle
• rain gear
• warm clothes
• cell phone
• trekking poles
• rollerblading knee/elbow pads
• rollerblade wrist guards

I would prefer if everyone on your team skated, but there's no reason to go out and buy skates and learn in the next two weeks. If one or two of your teammates do not have skates they can run along with the teammate(s) rollerblading to the CP.

Route:

I will email out the CP coordinates for teams to plot a day or two before, then I'll have a master copy with CP's and the route marked at the start to check your plots against. Please give yourself a little extra time for this in the morning and DON'T COME WITH A BLANK MAP (I'll be checking to make sure you at least attempted plotting the points, nice try though!)

Registration, Info, Race Day:

At 8:30am I'll hand out passports/route info, collect $15/person, have everyone sign a waiver, and answer any questions. The race starts at 9:00 AM.

During the Race:

Teams must carry all their own gear for that day. There will be a bike/trek transition that will be watched, but you can only leave your bike and must carry everything else with you. This way it won't look like a REI yard sale at the transition. After the rollerblading section you will be able to put your rollerblades back in your car and get on your bikes.

This event is designed as a good warm-up to the Adventure Racing season, nothing impossible or too hard, and for all ranges of skills. There will be some bushwhacking, but not far distances. There will also be a small section of technical mountain biking, but its very easy to hike-a-bike around it. The route also makes it possible to skip CP's if you are bonking or have had enough for the day, for a time penalty per missed CP of course.

That being said, IT'S GONNA BE A BLAST and I hope to see many of you out there!!

Note from Jeff, 14 April

Hey folks, by my count it looks like we've got around 11 or 12 teams already for this coming Saturdays event! That's fantastic! And it seems that all ranges of Adventure Racing abilities will be represented which is great too, maybe the teams and people just starting out can pick up some tips and ideas from the pro's and I'm sure the pro's will lend a helping hand if needed cause we were all just starting out at some point. What a better way to learn too, right?! There's tons of tips and hints out there that can mean plenty of time over the course of a race.

Whether it's fast transitions, map reading on the run, proper packing, food and drink, towing bikes, team dynamics, proper clothing, etc.

I've gotten bunches of emails from different teams and members, but could the captain or one person from each team email me simply with your team name and team members full names. Thanks!!

Disclaimer: This course is entirely on open public or government property. No access permissions have been sought. You will be expected to respect any posted / private property etc. signs encountered. The BYC is a non-profit club sponsored training event to allow AR teams of all ability levels an opportunity to practice in a fully supported competitive environment.