Raid Caneo Nature Disciplines

Once a team has entered a race such as the Raid Caneo Nature, you need to study all available information you can find out about the race, the disciplines are of course very important and you need to ensure you have the right skill levels.

The Disciplines for the Raid Caneo Nature are Walking / running and orientation, sailing (dinghies), horse riding (ride and run), mountain biking, rollerblading, rope techniques (abseiling), canyoning, sea kayaking, canoeing. Sometimes these will vary between the launch of the race and the actual start, but registred teams will be kept informed. sharp eyed people may have notices that the January Raid Caneo Newsletter talked about having at least one member of your team who knows how to read a potholing map, so there is some caving involved in the
race

The Skill levels and certification for the Raid Caneo Nature will be advised in April. Some certificates will be required issued by national sporting bodies.

You can get a good idea of the standards required from past races organised by Gerard Fusil, such as The Elf Authentique Adventure, The Reunion D'Adventure and to a lesser extent the Oman Adventure.

Below are my thoughts for the Raid Caneo Nature

Sailing was included in two of Gerard Fusil's races and took place in local boats. The Raid Caneo Nature talks about dinghies so perhaps it will be something the size of a 420 or a Vaurien or a little bigger. At least you will steer with a tiller and rudder rather than a oar. One member of the
team must be able to know how to rig a boat, tack and gybe, reef, recover from a capsize and know the rules of the road. It is helpful if the whole team can understand the basics.

Horse Riding two members of the team need to be able to ride and control a horse, walking, trotting and cantering. You may also be required to know how to saddle and bridal the horse, but I imagine this will be done by the stables. Tactically your slowest runners should be riders, so this could vary depending on which stage(s) of the race ride and run takes place , as the rider might be able to get some rest.

Rollerblading, French roads are certainly better than those in the Philippines where the stage was over 100K and I would not expect anything near this length but be prepared for uphill and downhill gradients. I know in Reunion some teams used skates rather than blades but you will need to check the rules.

Abseiling- Canyoning. Abseiling is a usual skill and Gerard Fusil used to prefer the Petz Stop so you will need to check the gear list. Canyoning levels could be anything from small jumps swims and bouldering to perhaps abseiling down a waterfall(s) have to wait until April to find out.

Sea Kayaking/Canoeing The Talk of turbulent waterways in the January Newsletters make me believe that the start in Paris will be in Sea Kayaks and perhaps the finish of the Raid Caneo Nature into Marseilles will be via the water, however both are quite busy with commercial traffic so we will have to wait a see. Normal Kayak skills including capsize and recovery and rules of the
road.

David Ogden
International Adventurers

Raid Caneo Nature Logistics Tips

Preparing for an expedition adventure race such as the Raid Caneo Nature, needs careful planning, when you first register you may only have some outline details such as in the case of Raid Caneo Nature

Event Information

Dates 27th July - 9th August 2008

Course Paris - Marseille

Teams Four competitors with a minimum of one woman

Support teams Two people per team

Disciplines Walking / running and orientation, sailing (dinghies), horse riding (ride and run), mountain biking, rollerblading, rope techniques (abseiling), canyoning, sea kayaking,
canoeing.

Registration fee €900 per team

Closing date for registration 31st March 2008 (or before if the limit has been reached)

Maximum number of teams Fifty

Stages Six reassembly points

Bivouacs Located on secure sites

Event activities Event villages for the general public throughout the course.

Press Continuous multimedia coverage aimed at the general public. Image production by GFC. Television broadcasting agreements with a major terrestrial channel.

Organisation GFC (Gérard Fusil Consultants)

ADAPNA (Association pour le Développement durable des Activités de Pleine Nature)

Contacts E-mail : gfusilcy@aol.com and raidcaneo@aol.com

Gérard Fusil Consultants :
Botergollec, 56400, Brec’h, France. Tel. : +33 (0) 2 97 57 53 57. Fax : +33 (0) 2 97 57 50 35 http://authentiqueaventure.com/

You need to consider the logistics, in this case the Caneo Raid Nature which starts in Paris and finishes 700K away in the South of France, how are you going to get to start and return home.

Much depends on where you live and remember you have a lot of equipment to move include two sea kayaks.

For example if you are flying in you can get an open Jaw ticket into Paris and outwards from Marseille, however you will need to hire a support vehicle plus sea kayaks, which will need to be returned to Paris unless other drop off arrangements can be made. An alternative is a round trip air fare to Paris and then at the end of the race the team drive back in the support
vehicle.

This raises the 2nd question what kind of vehicle is best for support. I would recommend a panel van or even a minbus, fitted with a roof rack, the larger the better according to your budget. If you are using a van be aware that passengers are probably not allowed to travel in the back unless in a seat, you can get away with it for short distances but not recommended on Autoroutes.

If you are going to need to hire sea kayaks you may need to search on Google, however be aware that its hard to find a sea kayak in Paris, you may need to contact the organisers of the Raid Caneo Nature for assistance.

David Ogden

International Adventurers