WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE 2015 RED BULL X-ALPS ATHLETE LINE-UP
The lineup is out – who will you be rooting for next July?
We're still more than six months away from the start of the world's toughest adventure race – but for these world-class athletes, training starts now. (Actually, most of them have been training since, well, the last Red Bull X-Alps.) Since the athletes need to know who's in, you get to know, too – that's why we've released the line-up for this year's race. You can read more about all the athletes on their online profiles, but we thought we'd share some of the most important stuff to know.
12 veterans, 19 rookies
There's currently 31 names on the entry list (and one yet-to-be-named wildcard entry). A dozen of those names – like Paul Guschlbauer (AUT1), Toma Coconea (ROU) and Tom de Dorlodot (BEL) – should be familiar, as they were in the 2013 (or previous) editions of the race. But 19 of the competitors will be lining up at the start line in Salzburg for the first time.
There's currently 31 names on the entry list (and one yet-to-be-named wildcard entry). A dozen of those names – like Paul Guschlbauer (AUT1), Toma Coconea (ROU) and Tom de Dorlodot (BEL) – should be familiar, as they were in the 2013 (or previous) editions of the race. But 19 of the competitors will be lining up at the start line in Salzburg for the first time.
Girl power
While the last four editions of the race have featured a male-only lineup, the fairer sex has been included in the Red Bull X-Alps before, back in 2005. In 2014, the gals make their return to the lineup, with Dawn Westrum (USA3) and Yvonne Dathe (GER2) getting ready to race. It's a known fact that women are have a natural predilection for endurance sports, so we're looking forward to watching these two ladies battle the Alps.
While the last four editions of the race have featured a male-only lineup, the fairer sex has been included in the Red Bull X-Alps before, back in 2005. In 2014, the gals make their return to the lineup, with Dawn Westrum (USA3) and Yvonne Dathe (GER2) getting ready to race. It's a known fact that women are have a natural predilection for endurance sports, so we're looking forward to watching these two ladies battle the Alps.
They've been doing their homework…
This year's rookie class is anything but inexperienced. Nelson de Freyman (FRA3) was on the race route last year as a supporter for Antoine Girard (FRA2), potentially giving him unique insight into navigation decisions. Gavin McClurg (USA2) owns the North American foot launch record (387km on a single flight) and has completed numerous vol-bivvy trips in extremely remote mountain ranges.
This year's rookie class is anything but inexperienced. Nelson de Freyman (FRA3) was on the race route last year as a supporter for Antoine Girard (FRA2), potentially giving him unique insight into navigation decisions. Gavin McClurg (USA2) owns the North American foot launch record (387km on a single flight) and has completed numerous vol-bivvy trips in extremely remote mountain ranges.
…but they've still got to deal with 'the Eagle'.
Yep, we may have waited till the end of yesterday's roll call to say his name, but make no mistake: Chrigel 'the Eagle' Maurer (SUI1) is back for his fourth Red Bull X-Alps – and he'll be going for his fourth win in a row. Last year's seven-day sprint to Monaco was arguably the most legendary performance the race has ever seen – can the Swiss pilot pull it off again? We'll only know in Monaco.
Yep, we may have waited till the end of yesterday's roll call to say his name, but make no mistake: Chrigel 'the Eagle' Maurer (SUI1) is back for his fourth Red Bull X-Alps – and he'll be going for his fourth win in a row. Last year's seven-day sprint to Monaco was arguably the most legendary performance the race has ever seen – can the Swiss pilot pull it off again? We'll only know in Monaco.
Stay tuned over the coming weeks and months as more about the route and race is revealed. It's going to be a great race!
http://www.redbullxalps.com/news/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-2015-red-bull-x-alps-athlete-line-up.html
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