Tension rises: after a long and intense preparation, 31 athletes from 20 nations arrive at the basecamp in Fuschl am See, Austria ahead of the 2017 Red Bull X-Alps race. In the picturesque village of the SalzburgerLand region, the athletes will make their final adjustments and fine-tune their race strategies with the help of their supporters.
The route and the unpredictable weather conditions are one of the main topics of the athletes.
For Duncan Kotze of South Africa, preparation was tough he explains. “I broke some ribs in March, so I was out of training for three weeks and then got back into it; but just very mild training to keep the cardio up.” Kotze learnt to fly in France back in 1999 and says that Europe has much more to offer for paragliders than his local area. For now, his feelings remain mixed; “I’m excited to get going, but nervous of all the people at take-off. We’re not used to that. The pressure is on for a good launch!”
USA’s Gavin McClurg knows exactly what it takes to push himself to the limit; he certainly stands in good stead for the imminently approaching race. He says as confidently as ever; “Since we made it to Austria to prepare for the race, we have pretty much been in the air every single day, so it’s been really good.”
Nick Neynens from New Zealand has experienced the blood, sweat and tears of Red Bull X-Alps once before and is mostly excited about the route. He says; “I think it’s great that it passes through the Alps so many times. It gives a lot of options and I really like the turnpoints where you can land at high-up points.” If he gets off to a good start this time around, who knows what he will be capable of.
So it seems the athletes are well prepared and ready for the challenges that Red Bull X-Alps 2017 will provide. For those at home here’s what you can expect from June 29, 2017 onwards. We’ve put together all the important details for you below.
Live Tracking starts on June 29 with the Leatherman Prologue. Follow your favorite athlete, watch the race unfold and live the adventure every day during the race on redbullxalps.com/live-tracking!
Tune in to Facebook Live during the Leatherman Prologue at 09:50 CEST to follow the kick-off as it happens. There will also be a broadcast as the first athlete finishes, so keep an eye on our Facebook.
Starting July 2, there will be two Facebook Live broadcasts per day. The morning broadcast will happen at 08:30 CEST, with the afternoon broadcast planned for 17:30 CEST. Please note that on July 2, the first broadcast will take place 30 minutes before the race start.
We will update you every day in the early afternoon with a summary of the day, as well as image galleries and highlight videos. Stay tuned to redbullxalps.com for all your race updates, from quick race news and videos to the athletes’ Social Hub. If you’re looking for the best visual content, you definitely have to follow Red Bull X-Alps on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Up to the minute race-news will be available on our Twitter. Can’t make it to the Red Bull X-Alps, but still want to fly like one of the athletes? Head over to redbull.com for the Red Bull X-Alps VR Experience and get your first air miles!
To meet the athletes and learn more about the race, head over to redbullxalps.com and facebook.com/redbullxalps – or follow the action live from June 29 on redbullxalps.com/live-tracking.
