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We hooked up our bikes to aclimbing rig and sent it to the otherside of the canyon, and one at atime traversed the line, wishing wehad gotten here before sunset toenjoy the view.Control Point 9: (3:30 AM)CP 9 was just a few minutes away.There was another chasm to cross.This time it was inside a metalgondola.We came skidding into the nextcontrol point to get our passportstamped.Control Point 6: (11-Midnight)We rode along the river andcrossed a bridge looking for avirtual checkpoint. Somewherenearby there was a sign with threewords we needed, only it was notprecisely located on the map andwe were unsure what to do.The team waited at a bus stop whileI pedaled around trying to find thesign further up the river, just in case.I was only able to find belligerentdrunks out at that hour, and cameback empty-handed. The lack ofsleep was catching up. JJ and Iwere still pretty strong and lucid,but Sean was starting to deteriorateand Pedro was on fumes.Control Point 7: (12-1 AM)Our virtual checkpoint was justfurther up the road and we madeour way along a gradually inclinedroad for what was described by atienda clerk as a “giant bird” at thebase of a rockslide.Sure enough, on a poorlyconstructed artificial tree sat an8-10 foot bird, and our next CP wasa steep 5 mile climb away.Pedro rounded a bend, slowlypushing his bike up. “I justvomited,” he told us.“Drink some water, we are almostthere.” I said. But the truth was, wewere not almost there. We still hada pretty significant climb before wemet up with our support crew.Control Point 8: (2.45 AM)“It is 2:45 A.M.” the volunteer atthe Tyrolean traverse told us, “thecut off time for the Cotalo CP is3 AM. And, you have 5 miles ofsteep switchbacks ahead of you. Ifyou want to continue, we will letyou go across, otherwise you mightwant to radio your support crew.”I looked over at my teammatesand watched the effect of the newscrush them. As if our report cardhad been handed back to us with abright red F. We talked it over anddecided we did not want to botherour support crew, and would ratherride it out to the end.Climbing up the switchbacks to thefinal control point as the sun rose,teams were wiped out along the way,sitting against the embankmentswith vacant expressions. We hadlong ago run out of water andsnacks, never imagining that a60-kilometer bike ride could takealmost 14 hours.Throughout the climb, Pedrowould vomit at least three times ashe pushed his bike all the way toCotalo. I imagine he was happythat the race was over.Control Point 10: (6:30 AM)Our support crew was awakeand waiting for us with a feast,including freshly made guacamole,fried potatoes, and quesadillas.They were a bit delirious havingnot slept through the night, andcheered us up by obnoxiouslyspraying cheap champagne all overus and excitedly cheering us on.The girls promised a big party forus later.After getting our passport stampedone last time, I gazed at the 10 holespunched through our card, eachrepresenting a sliver of adventure:muddy trails through dwarf forestsand pedaling through indigenousvillages in the night.Adventure World Magazine May 2009 20
Yet, I couldn´t help but thinkabout the remaining 13 CPs,conspicuously unpunched, thatwe were going to miss, includinga huge rappel down a cliff inthe highlands near ChimborazoVolcano and the kayaking stretchthrough the jungle.Huairasinchi literally translates to“the wind´s strength” in Kichwa,alluding to the phenomenalchallenges that we would encounterin this world-class adventure race.For us, the wind dealt us a hardblow when we lost our teammatedays before the competition, andyet another when we discoveredhis replacement was in no shapefor a race of this caliber. Even ifwe had been able to finish the race,I imagine I would still feel thataddictive tug of adventure racing.Somehow you can just never getenough. We discovered a certainbeauty and power in that feelingof resignation JJ mentioned at thestarting line…ride it out and makethe most of it!www.arworldseries.comthe pinnacle of adventure racingJacob Thompson is a freelancewriter. He and his friends, Seanand Goat (along with some guestriders), are out to ride the spineof the Western Hemisphere fromAlaska to Tierra del Fuego. Theyare currently in Ecuador where theyjust competed in their first adventurerace. For more information aboutthier journey, visit their site at:www.ridingthespine.com.Ecomotion ‘08 ARWCXPD AustraliaPortugal XPD RaceBergson Winter ChallengeUntamed New EnglandRaid in FranceBimbache Extrem Castilla y LeónExplore SwedenHuairasinchiARWORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ‘09Portugal XPDwww.arworldseries.comAdventure World Magazine is a GreenZine 21
Page 3 and 4: Featurescontents10Gone To The Dogs-
Page 5 and 6: contributorsAfter diving into debt
Page 7 and 8: news from the fieldCrossing The Ame
Page 10 and 11: Gone To The DogsBy Amanda JonesFor
Page 12 and 13: keep you motivated.”Only 2 other
Page 14: Lessons Learned At HuairasinchiStor
Page 17 and 18: calmly for the event to begin,watch
Page 19: Then Sean started to panic, “Myli
Page 23 and 24: Adventure World Magazine is a Green
Page 25 and 26: and didn’t provide much of a wild
Page 27 and 28: and culture of the Inca people whol
Page 29 and 30: I remember being a young boy siftin
Page 31 and 32: The Coastal ChallengeRainforest Run
Page 33 and 34: We “hit the wall” which is best
Page 35 and 36: trainingNutrition: Feeding the Mach
Page 37 and 38: Adventure World Magazine March 2009
Page 39 and 40: Photos courtesy of Project Athenate
Page 41 and 42: How The Barkley Tamed Me!By Jon Bar
Page 43 and 44: did not help that the map was notve
Page 45 and 46: Adventure World Magazine Navigation
Page 47 and 48: gear closetTrail Runners For 2009-P
Page 49 and 50: gear closetVasque Blur SLMSRP: $100
Page 51 and 52: gear closetSome of our other favori
Page 53 and 54: Kid’s ZoneNomad Kid’s ShelterMS
Page 55 and 56: As we looked out on the water forwh
Page 57: out to meet them.After a few moment

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