Support Crews Are History at Primal Quest 2006
Posted on 11/29/05 12:00 PM| by Will
By Peter Berridge
November 29, 2005
In previous Primal Quests, support crews served a critical function to every team, especially the elite squads whose crews operated with the efficiency of NASCAR pit mechanics. They fed, bathed and dressed their adventurers, and even played a role in plotting their travel.
All that is about to change for PQ 2006. No longer will racers be able to arrive at transition areas to find hot noodles and heapings of TLC from their support crew awaiting them. No more comfy RV’s and deluxe shelter - only their expedition racing gear boxes and the never-ending support of race management. This is true old school expedition racing.
As veteran racer Robyn Benincasa puts it, the unsupported format means “No warm people and no warm food waiting for you.” In some respects, this will diminish the morale boost that TAs usually provide.
“There is an incredible sense of community in supported racing,” explains Jim Garfield, the first U.S. athlete to be awarded a coveted Red Bull sponsorship and a competitor in Raid Gauloises stretching back to 1994. “A TA is like a combination of Woodstock, Cirque de Soleil and M.A.S.H.”
But PQ CEO Rich Brazeau believes the change will help level the playing field and reduce the overall cost for teams, especially those traveling from abroad. “Our folks will provide plenty of encouragement and support, but the teams will need to operate just as efficiently and cohesively in TA’s as they do on the course. The race can be won or lost in the TA’s” states Brazeau.
One thing is for sure, the unsupported format will certainly take teams back to the roots of adventure racing and to what it truly means to be on an expedition. Teams (and the actual transition areas) will be much more isolated than in years past, and with the added responsibility of self-sufficiency, greater time will be spent at any given TA. Simple things like drying off, warming up, eating and packing will chip away at time that could otherwise be spent resting mind and body. Even tireless diligence won’t heat the soup and pasta before you arrive, and most teams may not eat well as well, or as much, as they would have with support crews. More challenging yet will be the continuous exposure to the elements, a factor as unpredictable as the weather the mountain states are known for.
Beyond the tactical considerations, the mental aspect of racing alone but for your teammates will be paramount.
“It will be much more grueling; it’s where your mental toughness will prevail,” explains Robert Beauchamp, captain for Team BMC Racing. Beauchamp and many others speak from firsthand expedition experience and know what it is like to take on an expedition-length race with and without support crews.
AR legend Billy Mattison, captain of Team GoLite/Timberland, adds, “It makes you think more and it even makes pre-race more tiring. It favors teams that have been in the sport for a while.”
As the days wear on in this grueling race, AR newcomers may find themselves at a decided disadvantage if not properly prepared to deal with the struggle to meet cutoffs and finish the race. Mattison recalls this struggle, the transformation from team effort to individual survival, during one of his first victories at a major expedition race, Eco-Challenge Morroco in 1998. “It was almost like a bad dream. We were in first place but moving in slow motion. We couldn’t remember names; it was almost like every man for himself at the end. We pushed sleep deprivation to the limits. I’ve never been to that point since.”
Mattison and other veterans hope to use their experience as an advantage versus many of the younger, faster teams.
Collectively, most racers agree that going the unsupported route is a dose of good medicine for the sport – a bit of preventative medicine so that adventure racing does not become classified as a glorified off-road triathlon.
For this edition of Primal Quest racers must look no further than their teammates and expect nothing more than what they have provided for themselves ahead of time – the barest of essentials on an epic journey through the Mountain States Region of North America.
