Raid Chartreuse: Trail / Orienteering / MTB / Run&Bike

Posted on 01/05/2012 by jpybus

Julien & Francky: Survivors of the Raid Chartreuse

Article by Julien for the PowerBar inov-8 team– 14.04.2012

On the morning of 14 April,  I make an early start to get to St Hilaire (near Chambery/France) where I will meet en-route with Francky for a two hour drive to the Raid Chartreuse!

At 8am we reach the village. I heard this was a beautiful countryside….but in this weather no one can see anything!

This will be a long day…and a cold one! I inwardly applaud my choice to wear waterproof inov-8 Roclite 318 Gore Tex shoes.

The start is slightly delayed to 9.30 but this is it, we go for the 2 laps of 5km on a nice enough trail- but when the first crossing comes, a missing marker means we take the wrong path-and the whole group follows us!

No-one told us that the orienteering bit had already started!?!

From our previous 3 first places, we’re ending up last. But the race is long, the field is wet, muddy and slippery, and I really feel good! We finish the trail section among the first and start the orienteering stretch.

Francky will be the leader for this section.

Unfortunately the first signpost has been removed and several of us are searching around: it becomes more a hunting collaboration (“battue”) than proper orienteering. We then decide to miss this one and get to the next-which costs us a 20min penalty. Later on, we learn that the first sign post had been wrongly placed, so this explains why we were not able to find it!

The trail was not always easy and sometimes even very difficult to access, we curse the organizers, but our inov-8 shoes keep us in the race! We finish the Orienteering in the top 5 and leave for the MTB.

The MTB section was tough. The combination of cold, rain, mud and even snow made these 28km a real nightmare!

Spinning doesn’t give you legs for Mountain Biking!

I defintely notice that I am ill-prepared for this season and the conditions are not helping either. We have to push more than we ride our bikes. Nearing the village there’s a last loop of 8km on the MTB…ouch! I fall 3-4 times, I’m exhausted but really try to make it and I’m drawing in my deep resources.

It’s such a pleasure to have some PowerBar to eat – it keeps my mind and body going- even if for only a few seconds.

As Franky says: “these races we finish them with the courage…”

I don’t have legs but I’ll show you some willpower. I have to grab his shoulder to finish the MTB, I can’t even change my gears my hands are so cold! Francky is easy, I don’t know if he noticed the 5 hrs we just raced?! :)

A final 4km loop of Run&Bike to finish and the sky briefly opens up for us to get a view of the valley: a sign of the end of the Raid!

We finish the 50km race in 5hrs07, 6th, and miss the podium by only a few minutes. We are both cold and exhausted, but happy we got to the end!

At one point I even remember telling Francky ” I think this is even more difficult than the Ironman!?’‘

Thanks to Francky and to my Sponsors Mountainfocus GmbH and Powerbar! The first Raid of the season has been a great experience and I don’t think I’l forget this race in a hurry!

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1st CAPI Raid – Team PowerBar Inov-8 got 3rd in Woodstock-like weather conditions!

Posted on 18/04/2012 by jpybus

 

 

Team-PowerBar-Inov8-Switzerland-3rd-place

 

Heavy rain, freezing cold, the muddiest terrain ever… I couldn’t dream of better conditions for my first race of the season as a member of the PowerBar Inov-8 team! Hopefully, my teammate Francky is here to keep me motivated!

He just did the Raid Chartreuse the day before spending more than 5 hours in full rain and snow conditions so it’s not another few hours that will scare him off, is it Francky?

5am on Sunday morning. Quick breakfast, gear packed and off I go. It’s a 2-hour drive to the CAPI raid near Lyon/France. Silly me, when I could stay warm in bed instead… I must be totally mad!

8am. Arrival on the spot, L’Isle d’Abeau, golf course. I meet Francky and happily find out that some hundred other sport-addicts are there despite the weather. We’ve got just enough time to get our gear ready – I should have brought a wetsuit… – and it’s briefing time.

9am. On the starting line. Beginning with 4km running. “Let’s start easy, alright?” Yes, sure. Blimme! Now I’m wondering what would “starting fast” mean… We set off through wet grass and wet – I’ve never loved my XTalon 212 so much! I hardly have time to catch my breath and off we are on our mountain bikes for the next section. We’re in the top 5, with 2 other mixed teams right ahead.

7km of wet and slippery trails. I’m quite enjoying it actually! The girl in the team ahead misses a curve and … splash…lands head first in the mud! We take them over, arriving 2nd mixed team for the Orienteering part.

Francky is a king! He led us amazingly fast through the orienteering section and here we are now, the first team back on their bike for another cycling section. Two other teams are quite close and we end up cycling along with them for a while. This section is quite technical: mud and water puddles, slippery tracks, rocky paths… The bikes start suffering from the harsh conditions, and to be honest, me too. One of the teams cycling with us has no brakes anymore; another guy has frozen fingers… It’s tough. I suffer… Hey, let’s keep going! We’ll have plenty of time to complain later!
 
Suddenly, close to the end, no more marking… We must have missed a crossing somewhere…We manage to find our way back to the Golf and despite this involuntary detour arrive 1st for the abseiling section.

4th transition. We’re jumping back on our bikes and follow the indications given by some of the volunteers telling us to head back to the golf course for the archery section. Getting there, we realize that we got it wrong…Wrong directions: we ought to have taken another road to the archery section!!! Oh my! this time we have lost quite a lot of time…. Let’s rush to the archery zone and see how we can catch up.

Archery. 1st arrow in. 2nd and 3rd out. Hum! 2 rounds running as a penalty (!) and we’re back on the bikes for the very last bit.

Finishing line. We’re 4th scratch, 3rd mixed team. A bit disappointed as we were so close to win. Well, it’s part of the game. We’ve had great fun anyway, without any major technical problems despite horrendous conditions.
A well deserved shower. Both Francky and I look terrific, fully covered with mud! Some say it’s good for the skin… Honestly I’m quite happy to be among the very first ones under the shower…before they got turned into another mud puddle!

It’s definitely been a day to remember! For sure no one will forget this 1st edition of the CAPI Raid. As for me it’s been a great first experience with the Team thanks to Francky! Let’s hope now we’ll get milder conditions for the APEX in June.

Stay tuned for adventure race reports from Team Powerbar inov-8!

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Spring/summer 2012: Jeff Grant chooses the bare-grip 200

Posted on 18/04/2012 by jpybus
inov-8-switzerland-bare-grip-200

The bare-grip 200

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the coming Spring/Summer season take off-road running to new extremes with the inov-8 Bare-grip™ 200. Ask inov-8 Crossfit, Triathlon and Natural runnning coach Jeff Grant which shoe he’l be boasting this Spring and he’l tell you:

For runners who have transitioned to a natural running style and gradually worked their way down to zero differential soles, the bare-grip™ 200 makes an excellent spring shoe. It’s grip is simply stunning and it is the only full minimalist shoe that I trust on an aggressive run down wet and steep hills. It’s ZERO Arrow Shoc-Zone™ and lack of a midsole means it’s better suited for racing and short runs, but it’s ability to offer grip as well as feel of the terrain leads to Zen-like moments where you connect with the environment. And this is one of the main reasons we love being in the mountains, isn’t it?

The bare-grip 200 is currently in stock at the following stores:

Planet Endurance and Diététique Sportive, and coming soon to Ertl/Renz Interlaken.

Find your nearest retailer on our retailer locator.

Article by inov-8 Coach Jeff Grant.
Original image available at barefootrunninguniversity.com

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team powerbar inov-8 gets 1st place in the raid de l’ub

Posted on 02/04/2012 by jpybus
This weekend the team Powerbar inov-8 competed in the Raid de l’ub in Dijon/France and snatched first place. Here is a race report from team leader, Charles Triponez. If you’re unsure who Team Powerbar inov-8 is, click here.

 

1st place for Team Powerbar inov-8

Work commitments, poor health and injury meant that it was left to me, Charles, to represent Team powerbar inov-8 this weekend.

 

A few desperate phone calls and facebook messages gave Alex Dimitriou (a strong and experienced racer) and I just enough time to get prepared, pack our gear, and book a room for the night before the “raid de l’ub” (Dijon/France).

 

Wake-up at 6am, registration at 7am directly followed by gear check and setup of our dedicated transition zone!

 

We had to hurry up as I had to test the kayak once before the race… Alex is a long time experienced kayaker and even if I train a lot on sea kayak, it was my 1st ride on this unstable wavehooper!

 

GOOooo! I love racing, but I hate the starts… too many teams, too much energy, so many risks to get hurt…

 

Anyway, after 100m we jump in our kayaks, fairly good start we are in the top 10.A loop on the lake and we are the 1st to reach the canal.

 

In a minute we are on our Mountain Bikes heading to the next transition! Bikes sections are really beautiful, almost no pavement, few large gravel roads and long single tracks! No very long climbs around Dijon but lots of small hills with some pretty steep sections. We are not pushing too hard on these 1st 18km, in order to stay “fresh” for the last and longer section of Mountain Bike.

 

We reach the 2nd transition still in 1st place. But the other teams are not far! It’s time to wear my X-Talon 190 for this Orienteering section of 8km.

 

The beginning is far from efficient… and after 2 major mistakes I finally switch on my brain! Difficult to judge precisely, but we are probably down to 5-6th position. It gives us some more energy and we finish full speed.

 

3rd and last transition, back to our Mountain Bikes for the last but longest section with 24km. Good news, according to the officials we are the 2nd team to leave the transition area! It means we are in chasing mode, it means as well that I will suffer… Alex is a strong biker!

 

We force the pace until we see the team in front of us. Done! after a short hill we lead the race again!

 

It’s tough, especially for me and I’ve lost some energy in this first part of this section. I swallow a Gel and allow Alex tow me with the leash. (The leash… this is a fantastic device which is very often used in AR! I will explain in another report). We don’t release the pressure but still enjoy our way down to the valley!

 

After 4h17min of non-stop racing we cross the finish line in 1st position! 

 

The rest of the afternoon is very relaxing under a sunny and blue sky… Free massage provided by students in physiotherapy, interview by local media and prize-giving ceremony!

 

Well done, this is a pretty good start for the season… stay tuned for more race reports on inov8swiss.com!

 

Charles
Team PowerBar inov-8
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Trail check with Marc Lauenstein & inov-8 swiss

Posted on 25/03/2012 by jpybus

Marc Lauenstein recently took his inov-8 Mudroc 280 and Roclite 280′s on a trail running holiday to the South West of America. Below are some great photographs accompanied by interesting reviews. Start at the top left and use the arrows to continue reading. This story is unfortunately only available in English, but stay tuned for more up to date news from inov-8 Swiss athletes, coming soon!

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The Fisherman’s Friend Strongman Run: which inov-8 shoe should I choose?

Posted on 26/02/2012 by jpybus

Article by Coach Jeff Grant.

16 kilometers of running intermixed with a series of crazy obstacles including mud, water, tires, pipes to squeeze through, walls to climb. This is Madness! This is the Fisherman’s Friend Strongman Run!

FISHERMANS-FRIEND-STRONGMAN-RUN

inov-8 shoes are made for this kind of running!

During a coaching session in the Hillseeker Fitness Lab we got onto the topic of the upcoming Fisherman’s Friend Strongman Run on 11 March 2012. What is the best shoe for this race and which criteria should we rely on when choosing shoes for events such as this? Here is a good list of evaluation criteria:

Feel & Proprioception.

Balancing on tires & logs, climbing over obstacles & crawling through them is great fun, but to balance & perform in this environment, you’ve got to ensure that your brain receives all the detailed inputs from the receptors on your feet. Without these inputs you’ll struggle on the tires, hay bales & other crazy objects placed in your path. Your brain is a powerhouse so don’t filter the inputs. Choose a shoe which provides good feel and let it work its magic!

Protection from the elements.

Straw, sand, mud, little rocks, big rocks. What do these have in common? They want to get in your shoes and they want to irritate your feet. They want to move in immediately and share your toothbrush! On a run like the Fisherman’s Friend Strongman Run, the last thing you need are stones and debris in your shoes, so make sure you choose a shoe with a tough and durable upper. Also, consider using the Debrisoc 32 or Debrisgaiter 38′s to keep the dirt out so you can focus on what really matters- getting to the finish in one piece!

Grip, but not the wrong kind!

Sure, who wouldn’t want shoes that transformed into swim fins for the giant puddles of mud or into retractable razor sharp Eagle talons for climbing obstacles?!

Unfortunately, inov-8 do not make such shoes- yet! If your chosen shoes are too grippy (eg: ice spikes) then they will be miserable to run with during that entire 16KM in between the obstacles.

Also, super grippy racing shoes may excel in the mud, and spikes may work well on ice, but given the reduced surface area, they could be a disaster on artificial obstacles. If your shoes are not grippy enough, then all but the smoothest, driest, and easiest parts of the course will be a pain.

You need to find something in-between that will perform across a wide range of surfaces.

Let’s face it: your shoes and socks are going to get wet.

Accept the joyful fact. Love it, embrace it, start showering with your shoes on today!

While wet-shoe running likely won’t become an Olympic Sport any time soon, your shoe needs to be light enough and drain well enough that it makes wet-shoe running as pleasant as it can be!

Conclusion:

Based on feel & proprioception, protection, all-round grip, and performance in the wet, my top pick is the X-Talon 212.

INOV-8-SCHWEIZ-X-TALON-212

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The X-Talon 212 is my must-have inov-8 shoe for the Fisherman’s Friend Strongman Run training and racing. This shoe excels in mud, on snow, on rocks and sand, and on steep inclines. It’s got excellent protection in the upper and the X-Talon sole doesn’t get in the way of running or having good surface feel. I’ve tested this shoe in the mud, on rope climbs, dragging heavy loads through the forest and running off trail and it rocks!

I hope this post helped anyone who was uncertain about which shoe to use for the Fisherman’s Friend Strongman Run. Good luck to all the Strong Men and Women participating on the 11th of March!

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how to choose the right minimalist shoe

Posted on 15/02/2012 by jpybus

As runners, we are all individuals.

Knowing how to choose the right minimalist shoe is an area where many runners may encounter a little uncertainty.

Read this article on the Barefoot Running University blog and learn what to look out for when you set out to choose the right minimalist shoe for your style of running.

How to choose the right minimalist running shoe

Ricarda Bethke uses the inov-8 Roclite 275 GTX.

 

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Who is inov-8?

Posted on 31/01/2012 by jpybus

A colleague of mine asked me about my pair of inov-8′s recently. After explaining to him that inov-8 specializes in shoes for Barefoot and Natural running, he just stared at me blankly.

”A barefoot shoe? What do you mean? Isn’t that an oxymoron?”

Well, for the guys who are unsure about inov-8 and the minimalist running concept, we created this video just for you! We hope you enjoy it… if you like it, tweet it, or share it with your friends on facebook. Help them to see the light :)

Special thanks to the inov-8 swiss coach, Jeff Grant at Hillseeker Fitness Lab, and Rachel Frei Bandieri from the RFB Concept.

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Dominique Koch Gear Testing

Posted on 25/01/2012 by jpybus

Dominique Koch recently took his new X-Talon 190′s and Race-Elite 15 Pack out for a performance test. Luckily, our cameraman was able to get close enough to get some shots of this elusive Orienteer. Read on below for Dominique’s thoughts on his new gear:

On this cold and grey day, the X-Talon 190 was a great shoe choice! Grippy soles meant I had the confidence to run at full speed, and maintain good traction!

While running through the trees and across fields with patches of snow, the thin soles provided me with direct contact allowing me to feel everything that was going on beneath my feet.

For Orienteering  races, the lightweight X-Talon 190 is my top choice for events held in the woods and for Park Sprint!

Running with the Race-Elite 15 Pack, I was immediately impressed by how light and comfortable it was. This pack is also big enough to carry important supplies which one might want to pack for a longer jog.

Long trainer pants, jacket and some energy bars fit in comfortably!

I use this pack every day when I run home from work and thanks to a well designed system of fastening straps, the Race-Elite 15 does it’s job without letting me know that it’s there!

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inov8swiss welcomes Team PowerBar inov-8

Posted on 15/01/2012 by jpybus
When 7 strong individuals get together to share the same passion of outdoor and endurance, the result can only be powerful.
Team-PowerBar-Inov8-Switzerland-France
After 5 seasons, over 40 adventure races, 20 podiums and 10 victories, the team has kicked off 2012 with unlimited motivation!
Team PowerBar inov8′s objective for the coming season is to focus on multi-day adventure racing in Switzerland and France, focusing on multi-day races. The team will also participate in single-sport endurance races.
Stay tuned for thrilling race reports, product reviews, and in-the-moment photographs from Team PowerBar inov8!
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