 | Το αλεξίπτωτο πλαγιάς στα Ελληνικά |
For Immediate Release
July 6th, 2013
On the eve of the Red Bull X-Alps, athletes made final preparations on Saturday before embarking on the world's toughest adventure race.
At 11:30am local time on Sunday 7th July, under the iconic backdrop of Salzburg's baroque skyline, 31 athletes from 21 nations will set off on an epic 1,031km journey to Monaco by foot or paraglider.
The route will see them pass 10 turnpoints as they journey through Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France. It passes iconic mountains such as the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc as well as famous Alpine towns and villages such as Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Wildkogel, Sulden and Interlaken.
Although athletes journey through some of the most remote yet spectacular areas of the Alps, fans can nonetheless follow their every move, thanks to Red Bull Mobile Live Tracking (http://www.redbullxalps.com/live-tracking), which lets them follow the athletes in real time on redbullxalps.com. The race start will also be broadcast live, as well as regular updates during the race, on Servus TV (http://www.servustv.com/cs/Satellite/Article/Red-Bull-X-Alps-2013-011259518433740).
“The Red Bull X-Alps is unbelievably hard,” says race director Christoph Weber. “Athletes have to be skilled in so many areas — they have to be an incredible endurance athlete, and then they need the flying skills, but the most important thing of all is to be a good tactician.”
Above all is the need to be flexible to changing weather conditions, says two-time winner Christian Maurer (SUI1). “It can be sunny one minute then you can be caught in a thunderstorm and visibility is down to 10m.”
Fortunately, good conditions are predicted for the start, according to Clemens Teutsch, of Wetter.tv. “There is a risk of thunderstorms but the thermals will make for good flying conditions,” he says.
Competitors come from all over the world, from Latin America to South Korea, from America to Japan. They include some of the leading adventurers and paragliding athletes around today — individuals who have crossed continents, climbed Everest and broken flying records.
All eyes will be on race favorite Maurer (SUI1), who won the race in 2009 and 2011. But Paul Guschlbauer (AUT1), who was the surprise rookie who came third in 2011, could pose a threat. For most athletes however, just making it to Monaco is challenge enough.
On Sunday morning the start gun will fire at 11:30am and their mission will begin.
Follow the race with Red Bull Mobile Live Tracking on redbullxalps.com/live-tracking
More Information:
Uploaded every day on the Red Bull X-Alps' dedicated newsroom, www.redbullxalpsnewsroom.com, you will find:
o High res images cleared for editorial usage in connection with Red Bull X-Alps
o Web clips
o Daily summaries
o Background info, athlete biogs, route details and more
We only ask that you send us a copy or link of the article to zooom productions, Felderstrasse 12, 5330, Fuschl am see, Austria.
Image credits should read: ©photographer name (found in metadata)/ Red Bull Content Pool
ABOUT THE RED BULL X-ALPS
The Red Bull X-Alps 2013 will be the sixth edition of the world's toughest adventure race. It starts on July 7th and will see 31 athletes from 21 countries battling over 1,000km across the Alps from Salzburg to Monaco via 10 mandatory turnpoints, in the fastest time possible. Every kilometer must be covered either on foot or flown by paraglider.
Each team consists of one athlete and up to two supporters. No technical or outside assistance is allowed. Athletes can race between the hours of 05:00 to 22:30 but can each pull one 'Night Pass' that allows them to push-on through the night on foot.
The race requires expert paragliding experience and a very high level of endurance fitness — it's not uncommon for athletes to hike up to 100km in a day. The 2011 edition was won by Christian Maurer (SUI) in 11 days, 4 hours and 22 minutes. The 2013 edition comes on the ten-year anniversary of the first Red Bull X-Alps held in 2003.
For all image, interview requests and other media enquiries, please contact:
Tarquin Cooper
zooom productions gmbh
Αυτή η διεύθυνση ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου προστατεύεται από κακόβουλη χρήση. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε την Javascript για να τη δείτε.
tel: +43 6226 8848-25 / mob: +43 664 544 9241