RedBull Xalps memories

The main event has come and gone. My travels to distant lands finished and with the many new friends that I found along the way I am encouraged to return and spend some more time gypsying across the landscape. The event was intense with many great moments. It was full of the whole range of emotions, suffice to say there was never a dull moment. I foundly remember my hours at the cafe or bar waiting down the road for Honza as very relaxing and most enjoyable. I had many laughs, a few crys & much fun drinking more redbull the I'd ever though possible driving thru the alps. So many fantastic mountains and valleys filled with the kindest people in the most amazing villages. The rythem of life changed from region to region with as much characture & spice as the local brew or wine. Everywhere people where happy, friendly and nice to us as we gypsy wagoned across the whole of the alps. The sickness was a disapointment at the start, but opened many doors to spend more time enjoying the ride, especially since we were operating in the old school, with no real gps support or advanced mapping in place. I found a few internet locations and made the most of the live tracking systme making sms messages to Nate & Honza about route, location of others and weather. Plus with so many friends helping out we were able to be very well informed. The racing ahead for local detailed maps that also had the bike paths and hiking trails was hard. We were all blessed that every town had a free water fountain and usually it also had a map board that we could take a digi picturre of the aid our route selection. Many times Honza cursed the Hanning compass. My hat is off to Honza as he recovered quickly from an incredibly violent reaction to something????sq sausage??? He charged ahead, marching in the rain. Eventually he sprinted forward leaving the last pack behind. He charged each mountain with controlled speeds and rested each night for a min of 4 hours. Preventively Honza cared for his feet after hearing the stories of torn up heels and blisters for the frantic pace of the leaders. In the end this saved him much pain and suffering. He lost 15 pounds or so over the course of the race, but was constantly eating, with much thanks to CLIFBAR for suuporting the USA teams, Nate and Honza. The final days were all about eating right to keep an around the clock sprinters pace. When Honza did finally fly for his first time he was late up to the ridge, which made it better for the flight he had to make over the mountains and ontowards Lienz and the Dolomites. He landed and called and said he had had a serious REDBULL moment as he crossed over with just a few inches to spare. Looking at his track log it was obvious he had barely squecked by! From that first flight on Honza rallied against bad weather, when the leaders had good flying honza walked or ridge hopped. For the next couple of days we walks and flew with many teams at the back. It became fun to hang and chat about our different experiences all the while thinking about who was next to get axed from the pack. Joining forces with team slovak, Peter and Martin helped Honza gain confidence and after flight and a long walk thru the night Honza strided on, leaving them all behind. He flew deep into the marmolatta and then landed high behind a couple of ridges, climbing over the first he had to hike down to the hut, get a cheese sandwich all the while walking in the rain and then up another pass to a possible late afternoon flight. I heard him shouting as he leaped into the sky, the valley echcoing his voice. He flew right to the trailhead where I was parked with a big smile for having just passed the first turn point. A couple of flight the next day got him to the edge of Bolzano where late afternoon OD forced risky flying into potage stamp LZ. I was impressed at the size of his... It was here that many got stuck and slowed down, but Honza marched hard. He walked past Bolzano and Messner's castle up the valley that most flew to a mountain launch, where he leaped into the sky calling me while in the air to ask what the ceiling was, how high could he fly? He made me call the race director to confirm he could go as high as he wanted. I think he may have been close to the Approach pattern for Innsbruck, but who cared he skied it out and went a good distance. When he landed locals came and met him. It turned out that Nate had landed there more then 24hrs earlier. Friendly people who were tracking us online. Way cool to see the fans show up and help us out. Marching into Davos was and long night, but the idea of flying the valleys beyound into the Eiger turn point was enough to keep honza focused on his prize. Ealry in the am he went up the hill and I found pay to play internet at a 5 star hotel. Super cool! I drove around to Chur when he was ready to fly hoping to see him in the sky. His white wing did not offer much contrasting colors to see. I spent some time in Chur checking out the old boheimian corner. I sprinted to Arosa and called an old friend with no answer, Then I spoke to Honza who was already across the valley and parked up high waiting for the late afternoon cycle so he could ride down range. I parked it in a small town and motored up to a hill top with a church. I had such the shot lined up, and before I could press record, he had flown by! Up valley I went after him, only to miss his landing by a minute. He walked to Flims that night and ate dinner in a nice resturant, the arena bar, resturant and hotel, a most excellent place. Honza walked on after dinner into the night with fire owrks going off everywhere as it was Swiss independance night. As the world around us partied into the night we bivied in the van park at some road side urban bivauc site. The eiger was so close and we were so far behind, it was hard not to join in the celebration! We preyed for good weather and got none, walking much of what other had flown. Glacier crossings, and ridge running in cloud capped mountains, it was like being lost in another time. Somehow we always connected to resupply the Honza with walking power. His diet grew from soups and rice into sandwiches, eggs and speck and whole chickens from the butcher shop roasted up nice. He was always able to eat the clif gel bloks and drank alot of the powder to rehydrate. Adding protien powder and colorie shacks to his diet. Fresh apples and fruit always found there way into his pocket/diet. Arriving at the Eiger was painfully slow with the bad weather keeping us grounded. From a climbers campground we came to the site "First" and from there Honza made a great series of flights. He was steadily motoring thru the ranks hiking and flying his way forward. From First he flew with the Austrian Chris making excellent distance in critical moments. He landed high and hiked again always faster& strong with each kilometer. As the other racers slowed, drained from exhaustion and pained feet, Honza charged on becoming primal in his actions and thought processes. He claimed to be hunting mammoths. From the Eiger on Honza was racing at top speed and gaining. He charged along the more western route avoiding the air space and the long epic walk of the Sion valley. I watched it all in Interlachen at thefunnyfarm.com where I got internet access, schnitzels, biers and tons of entertainment. When night came after an amazing series of flights from near the Eiger I raced up into the valley to meet Honza for Dinner and sleep. We found a parking area where we pulled a silent and invisible night. Early he left and walked to a pass, when the German Peter went straight up to the rigde tops above town. Honza made it in time for the first lift and an early vally crossing. Tactically he leaped from ridge to ridge making a series of good solid flights. Now he was in real fighting shape. His last flight came into the Martigney valley thru the gap that ventures with serious force. I raced along the high way at top speed trying to catch him, but he went faster then I and ended up loanding going backwards. Definately antother memorable "redbull" moment. We walked again, but now Honza knew he would catch Nate before the race end. We met a fan at the pass that night and he gave good advice on where to go for the early, best flight. Honza walked away from me in the early AM stressed from the miles and sleep little nights. Yet he was determined to pass Mont Blanc and cross on towards Nate when was at least a valley ahead. I saw him coming above Chamonix and make a top landing as the arly cycles died out, Then relaunch and fly strong up into the sky, then away from Chamonix and off after him I went. Eventually I found my way up into the mountains where I found a McDonald's,which of course has gratuitus wireless internet. It is quite fashinoable to hang at McD's and thru Europe I did always find the arches for just that reason. And I can say with authority, The beef ain't the same over there! When Honza caught Nate that night it was a suprise for Nate to see us so soon. His feet where road kill and he carried a gimp of a gait as he kept charging forward. Honza made a flight out of clouds to the pass where we found each other and then he caught up to Nate. It was a good reunion of friends and for that night and into the next morning their friendship and the enjoyment of the adventure carried them forward into Bourge-St. Maurice. In the dawn light Honza stepped into the rain pouring down and showered, but not with any soap. Then the two of them walked up hill, hoping for a break in the weather when they reached the pass, maybe they could fly some. Honza left Nate after a time striding his way into the rain. He was a man possed now, and he was prepared for his final day and night. I stayed close to him now to provide instant energy and the security of the van close by kept him charging. Up hill he climbed to the pass from where he made a great flight into the valley that time forgot. Thru the clouds he went as I laughed, he had just jumped from a cliff side flying into the rainy clouds of the am. I found him in good spirits, the flight having saved him. Now he was really psyched to run. Up the road he marched as I found supplies along the way. Chicken and bier for me...Honza marched a long way and then up hill. We stopped for a meal at a small lake on the pass, by then the Hanning compass was deeply buried in insults, although I had gotten him uphill and thru the best section, saving him great distance....He was already very tired. With tapioca for brains he marched into the night. The brave soilder was brain dead at 2am, but by 4 am he was getting some thinking skills back. He was awakening the zomie within. Down hill he walked into a small Italian town and at predawn he sprinted thru it's streets reaching the hill he would have to climb earlier then he anticipated. He smelled the backery and tried to send me back for some tasty treats, but we were, he was committed beyound retreat to charging as far as fast as he could. I had been going 2ks in front all night long so he could pace himself in time and distance, but at this point I was always just ahead or just behind as I lead him along the switchback short cuts up to the pass where hours earlier Ulrich had been. Honza ran up the hill wasting almost all of his resources, but managed a brilliant last flight down from the pass into morning clouds. The final hour was upon us and I drove down valley after him. I found him running down the road going for it all up to the very last minute. I even had to call the race director for confirmation that the race was truely over. He was reluctent to get in the van and found it hard to believe it was over, and just as he found his real race rythm. We drove a short distance to the river where he washed and I packed, then with fresh chicken and biers we drove towards the race party with 5 hours to be there. Honza babbled for an hour or so and then crashed hard, while I raced along the roads as fast as I could. I was tired, but ready to be done with the whole affair. I had just witnessed the most amazing preformance by an athlete I could remeber in all ways and at all levels. But after all that driving I was ready for some party action. They BBQ'd us into a stuppor then we drank oursleves silly and late into the night I recall a near miss on a sushi effort by the giant who out raced them all. It was a brilliant bang to the end of an amazing event. And we thank you all for following with interest as we gypsy'd across europe. I can't wait to go back just to fly some vol bivouac! See you in the skies! Cheers