FEI courses

[steph@endurance.net]

I'll bite! I haven't ridden in that many FEI rides, but I've been to quite a few.

 

1994 WEC  - Holland - flat, bridle trails, beaches, sand dunes, pavement & cobble stones.  A bit of everything re footing, but no elevation. Remember Valerie's gallop to the finish along a busy city street? Honking vehicles, bycicle riders nearly run over.

 

1995 North American - Flagstaff, AZ - mountainous, fairly remote, some very steep and rocky stretches. Not a lot of crew access. technical and challenging course.

 

1996 WEC - Kansas - rolling hills, sand, rock, heat & humidity. Fairly challenging terrain, especially with the humidity

 

1997 North (Pan?) American - Bend, Oregon. (Paulina Peak trail) - good footing but lots of climbs - a fair amount of elevation change. Not a lot of crew places here either.Challenging course.

 

1998 WEC - Dubai, flat, fast, but a lot of deep sand, fairly hot & humid, but not extreme. Quite a lot of crew access, some were accompanied by helicopters and vehicles the entire way. Some new things here - the vehicle access in particular. I think there are still SUV's stuck out there in the sand...

 

1999 Pan American - Manitoba, Canada. Fairly flat, and fast, but lots of sand and some killer dunes. Moderate crew access.

 

2000 WEC - Compiegne, France - moderate evelvation, sandy in places, pretty flat and fast overall, but the footing was challenging. Moderate crew access.

 

2001 World Cup - like nothing else... fast, flat, some sand, some hard pack where sand used to be. Crew access the entire way - vehicles accompanied the riders throughout the course.

 

I think the World cup was typical of the UAE rides, where vehicles can and do accompany the riders the entire course. This is not done at the WEC or PAC championships though. I've never been to a European championship, but I don't think the terrain typically allows for a lot of vehicle crew access.

 

I've also ridden in FEI rides (non-championship) here in the states, in Washington and Montana. And they felt exactly like 'regular' US rides. A bit more control (dress, weight, etc) but mostly they were just another ride. At the championship level, the crewing is much more elaborate - more people, more access, (more tense), more of a team effort. It's a bit of a big deal as every detail and every second counts.

 

I think the difference in rides is more a factor of the host country, than whether or not it is FEI. Terrain makes a big difference.

 

I don't know much yet about the 2002 WEC in Spain, but I've heard it's rolling, mediterranian climate, probably loamy to rocky footing (my guesses only) - but I suspect it will be designed to be as fast/easy as possible given the natural terrain.

 

Steph

-----Original Message-----
From: SandyDSA@aol.com [mailto:SandyDSA@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 9:53 AM
To: ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject: RC: Endurance World Editor

I would be interested in just exactly what the differences are in the STYLE - the actual topography and difficulty - of the FEI, International and other rides that are somewhat not within the purview of AERC. Not having been to them, I would like to hear from someone who has BEEN to some - ARE they generally very flat? IS there a preponderance of assistance  - crew, etc? What is the general attitude of the riders - goals, etc?

Sandy