TransRockies
For more than 10 years I’m interested in extremes. Every single one is exceptional and different and that’s the reason why they attract me. I’m always trying to find a new one, in new conditions, in new surroundings and get to know how I can deal with it. Despite the fact I’m now focused on Costa Rica, which is a new extreme competition situated in the tropical rain forests and high rocky Andes, taking place in November, my mind is still full of the incredible experience from the TransRockies. I returned from this competition about a month ago and I’m still recalling those memories because it left such a deep impression in me. TransRockies is a bit different kind of competition compare to all those nonstop ultramarathons lasting several days or even weeks on which I focused in the past and where you have to survive in wilderness without anyone’s support. But TransRockies is exceptional and worth trying. We were surprised by long walking passages where were had to carry our bikes for about an hour on our back fighting the steep scree slopes towards the rocky crests just to carry them back down on the other side. Very often, when going down the hill using just the beds of highland streams, it was more of a free ride rather than cross country.
In Canada it was a competition of pairs. Together with my colleague we came 2nd in our category. It is a great placement in a worldwide competition. We were trying to be the best and in the second part of the competition we did far better than our competitors but we couldn’t make up for the time loss which occurred at the beginning. Results in these competitions are a summary of many factors. Physical readiness, cycling skills, mental resistance, ability to recover and last but not least your technical equipment. Already during the competition I was thankful for WTB WeirWolf – Tubeless tires. The track led us through a very rocky surface with sharp stones. There were stages where bikers had 5 defects. In the course of the whole week I didn’t have any. My tires passed this test with great results. I’m going to use the same ones during my Costa Rica competition. For more info about TransRockies and other extremes go to www.jankopka.cz During November you can watch a broadcast there, as well as info from the Costa Rica competition.
Honza Kopka
