X-Pyr 2014 kicked off at 11am local time on Sunday 13 July. The race will see 25 teams race from west to east across the Pyrenees in a style similar to the Red Bull X-Alps.
Pilots can move 17 hours a day by foot or by flying, and must always carry their glider, harness, parachute, helmet, phone and live tracker.
The racers, which include some of the best know pilots from the X-Alps, must tick off several turnpoints. Once the winner reaches the Mediterranean coast the rest of the pack have 24 hours to keep racing before the race ends.
Three times Red Bull X-Alps champion Chrigel Maurer said: “Depending on the weather it could be over in three days or two weeks.”
At 440km straight-line distance from coast-to-coast the race is much shorter than the 1,000km Red Bull X-Alps course but will be just as tough. The nature of the terrain means rather than following valleys as in the Alps, pilots have to cross numerous valleys – going up and down mountains rather than along valley floors.
Twenty-five teams are taking part including Chrigel Maurer and Thomas Theurillat, Toma Coconea and assistant Daniel Pisica and Aaron Durogati and Matthia Dilitz.
Two women pilots are also competing: German pilot Yvonne Dathe will be assisted by Thomas Ide, while Croatia’s Jasna Lalic will be supported by Sonja Papes.
Live tracking, athlete blogs, Facebook and Twitter feeds and up-to-date info is all available through the X-Pyr 2014 website.
• Got news? Send it to us at news@xccontent.local
Buy and sell gear on Skyads.aero
