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
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