Geocentric Outdoors Email Update - 23 Oct 2008

XPD Expedition Race

XPD 4 Weeks and Counting!

Australia's own expedition length adventure race is less that 4 weeks away. Based at Thredbo it will see local and international teams racing 800km over 10 days in the Australian High Country. Check out www.xpd.com.au for more information as well as the live race website during the event.

Smartwool is an event sponsor and has just launched the new WOW technology. Addressing the unique needs athletes have, SmartWool’s PhD socks were born from The Timberland Company’s famous Invention Factory (iF). Relentless fine-tuning produced a sock with ultra dense cushion in the highest impact areas and mesh zones for ventilation in the high perspiration zones. The new 4 Degree Fit System addresses redefined fit needs with a proprietary four point banded sport compression system for an incredibly secure and comfortable fit above and below the heel, under the arch and across the instep with second skin comfort. All this, plus the new WOW technology knitting technique means feet wearing the new PhD Outdoor socks will be protected by the most advanced technology available in the sock market. In three new styles for each men and women: PhD Outdoor Light Mini, PhD Outdoor Light Crew, PhD Outdoor Medium Crew will be shown for the first time to Australia at the XPD in November.

New to Australia will be the SmartWool Lifestyle sock range. Where does Lifestyle end and Performance begin? Who knows, but SmartWool works errands on the bike, deadlines at the office, decompressing after work well and into the weekend. Busy beings mix work, play and transportation, and wearing SmartWool keeps them moving. SmartWool means treating feet to the best, and now you can experience it at work as well.

Mountain Designs GeoQuest - 48hr Adv Race

Forster, Barrington Tops and White Water for 2009!

Organisers are exited to announce that the 2009 Mountain Designs GeoQuest course will take in highlights of the Barrington Tops and Forster areas. White water elements will be included for the first time in the race's history using inflatable craft. Steep canyons, large lake systems, high mountains and some of the tallest trees in the state characterise this superb region. More details will be released early in the New Year at the event web site www.geocentricoutdoors.com.au

Mountain Designs GeoQuest 48hr is Australia's premier adventure race. It involves 48+hrs of non-stop endurance racing in the major disciplines of trekking, mountain biking and kayaking. Mixed, Male or Female teams of four must navigate their way through an arduous 200+km course that is only revealed to them the evening before the race. The race is moved each year to a different location with exciting new challenges for the teams.

The Geo-Half adventure race is run at the same time as the Mountain Designs GeoQuest. It covers only half the distance but teams have the full 48hrs to complete it. The legs will be challenging, but with the additional time available to complete the half course, teams have a greater chance to reach the finish line. It is NOT a 24hr race; you have the full 48 hours to complete the course. Boats, paddles and PFDs are provided.

Alps Epic

Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race in the Australian High Country

Entries are now open for the inaugural Alps Epic and the event has already had a rush of
entrants willing to be the first to experience the splendor of the Australian high country.
Entries are limited to ensure minimal impact on the fragile environment that the course
traverses. There are 200 places for individual riders with their own support crew and 50
places for individual riders selecting the Support Package provided by the organisers. With
the event already 10% full, it is expected to sell out well before early bird entries close on
1st December.

The course has just been released and will include six stages over the five days.
When designing the course the Summit Events team have focused on bringing you the
best mountain biking available in the area. Course designer Craig Bycroft explains “the
beauty of this format of mountain bike racing is that we have been able design the course
around the best mountain bike tracks in the area. This has enabled us to keep the stages
relatively short allowing plenty of time to explore this gorgeous part of the country” The
course covers just under 200km with 99% of it being on dirt.

Stage 4 (Nimmo to Island Bend) of the event has been kept relatively short to allow riders
and their support crews time to ride or walk to the top of Australia. Any visit to the area
would not be complete without walking to the top of Mount Kosciuszko.

Another unique feature of the event is the relay pair category. This category is designed
for riders who would like to share the experience of the event with their team mate. This
makes it a perfect category for school teams and also great for couples who may be
bringing their family along - one rides, the other on family duty. Some of the shorter stages
allow both relay pair riders to complete the stage if they choose.

Full event details are available from the event website www.alpsepic.com.au

8Hr Enduro Mountain Bike Race

First Enduro Off to Flying Start

Over 400 riders, including 75 kids, had a blast at the first 8hr Enduro Mountain Bike Race in Brisbane on the 5 October 2008. The final results are now out and a huge congratulations to all who took part as well as all category place getters. In particular Redback Cycles for their impressive overall win with 18 laps. Close behind in 2nd overall was A+A=Dude then Fusion Fanatics in third.

Aiden Lefkmann had the fastest male lap in 23:28 mins and a female rider who didn't register her name by the required time had the quickest female lap in 27.17 mins. Rachel Edwards won the solo womens category with 12 laps and Rolf Collett took out the solo males with an impressive 16 laps. At the other end of the field the race saw over 40 first time riders racing in all categories. Finally over 75 kids mounted their cycles and gave the kids courses a go. Bikes ranged from plastic trikes through the impressive “they’ll grow into it” steeds.

Thank you for all of the feedback we have received about this first time event, much appreciated and will help us make it even better for the future. Next year we hope to obtain more sponsorship (with new sponsors already approaching us!). This will allow us to increase the prize pool, include some cool 8hr Enduro T-shirts in race packs and get better safety pins! We will definitely continue to improve the track through a pre-event trail maintenance and building day where volunteers can obtain a free entry. The kids races were so popular with kids and parents alike that we will run this again next year. There was an overall thumbs up for the coffee van, food and jumping castle. Overall an awesome day and the 8hr Enduro will certainly become a feature of the mountain biking calendar in Brisbane.

Organisers would like to thank the great support they receive from the event sponsors For the Riders, AY UP and Endura. Photos by Jerry Liu.

Area51 Adventure Racing Queensland

Event changes for 2009

The series will see some exciting changes in 2009 as a result of some of the great successes and feedback of the 2008 events. More information will be out soon but for a sneak peak at the dates and changes see below!

ONE NIGHT IN VEGAS - Friday 13th February. The extremely popular urban race in the middle of Brisbane. Also part of the City Raid series.

RUSH HOUR ADVENTURE RACE - Sunday 3rd May - voted by competitors as the best format of the sprint adventure races in 2008, this format will be used in the 6hr Rush Hour Adventure Race.

FAIRY BELLS - A new event, this 12 hr adventure race is run at the same time as Hells Bells and is designed as a great step into longer races. Sat/Sun 18th - 19th July.

HELLS BELLS - South East Queensland's premier adventure race for the last 5 years, Hells Bells will again challenge the toughest competitors over a 24hr race format. At a great new location in 2009 it will be appealing for interstate visitors with a transfer package being planned so teams can "fly in/ fly out".

Geocentric Corporate Adventures

Outdoor Programs for your Company

Looking for some new ideas for your next corporate event? Why not try our Great Urban Challenge.

The Great Urban Challenge was created as a corporate development program with a focus on building teamwork and decision making skills in an enjoyable environment. It is an activity that just about anyone can participate in as teams choose the activities and challenges based on their team strengths and weaknesses.

This program was initially inspired by the Amazing Race and has been based on our very exciting and popular adventure race called ‘One Night In Vegas’.

For more information contact craig@geocentricoutdoors.com.au

Look forward to seeing you at the next event!

Craig Bycroft
Event Organiser/ Director
Geocentric Outdoors
www.geocentricoutdoors.com.au

(07) 5445 3317 (phone)
(07) 5445 2217 (fax)
0419 427 244 (mobile)

Geocentric Pty Ltd
PO Box 374, BUDDINA, QLD 4575

If at any stage you wish to unsubscribe from the newsletter simply reply to an email with "Please Remove" in the subject line or email admin@geocentricoutdoors.com.au with "Please Remove" in the subject line.

If you have signed up with the online registration system you will need to log in and deselect the email updates option. Administration staff do not have access to you personal account to do this.