The premier expedition race in Basque Country, Basque Expedition Race, has joined the Adventure Racing European Series, the circuit of the top European adventure races.

The annual race travels through the remarkable landscapes of Basque Country including over the highest peaks of the country, through the beech forests and along the Cantabrian coast.

Dates for 2016 have been set for the 12nd to 16th of October.
Event General Manager Cristina Rico Arechaederra, from NonStop Aventura said, “We are working for an unforgettable race for all the athletes. The goal of each team is to reach the finish in the shortest possible time; mine, is that they enjoy every minute of the race.”

Basque Expedition Race will involve several disciplines including mountain biking, trekking, kayaking, rope activities, canyoning, speleology, stand up paddle and navigation. There are two categories, in order to offer this magnificent adventure to the maximum possible number of racers; Expedition and Adventure. The first one is the official category of the race, with teams of four athletes. The second one has the same route as the expedition race, but with a more affordable format, designed for teams that have less experience, less physical capacity or greater difficulty in forming a team of four people. It is the known as 2 + 1, that is, two racers in the race and an assistant, who may be relieved in any transition.

Race Director, Urtzi Iglesias Mota, is also one of the most experienced athletes in the world and is currently a member of the number 2 ranked team in the world, Columbia Vidaraid. He has over 6 years of experience directing adventure races in the Basque Country and he also is the race director of one of the races of the AR World Series, Expedición Guaraní. He said “I am ready to use my racing and directing experience to design a world class race for athletes of Europe. Navigation will be one of the most important points of the race which will include many dynamic and fast stages”.

The host city in Basque Expedition Race is Getxo and international teams will be met by the organization at the international airport of Bilbao (BIO).

Adventure Racing is an endurance race where teams of four athletes race nonstop, day and night, through courses up to 800km in length. Each course is a unique journey, including legs of mountain biking, trail running, kayaking and rope work. Teams must navigate using map and compass through remote wilderness checkpoints. They battle not only other teams, but also extreme fatigue, sleep deprivation and unpredictable weather. If one team member quits, the entire team is unclassified. Often just reaching the finish line is a victory.

For details of the race see http://www.basqueexpeditionrace.com/
For information on the AR European Series see www.areuroseries.com