It's on ! Inaugural Trans-Tasman Challenge set to rock Geographe Bay

In a coup for Western Australia, the Anaconda Adventure Race at Geographe Bay is set to host the inaugural Trans-Tasman adventure racing challenge. New Zealand's elite will be going head to head with Australia's best, with the lowest combined times earning not only victory, but a $1,000 cash bonus, the inaugural trans-Tasman trophy and most importantly: bragging rights.

Representing New Zealand we have Richard Ussher - twice world individual champion, former world teams champion & more recently Anaconda Forster winner; Gordon Walker - reigning individual world champion; and new kid on the block; Bailey Elliot. {Click here for full story.}

Victorian surf paddling workshop with Bruce Dunlop

Victorian surf-ironman guru and more recently adventure racing convert Bruce Dunlop is running am intense single day workshop in the protected waters of Cosy Corner at Toquay on Saturday 27th October.  Coaching will also be delivered by nine time world ocean racing champion Dean Gardiner, plus a range of very experienced and competent paddlers.

The full day session will include video work on technique, theory sessions, swell running techniques, catching & paddling through waves, building ocean confidence as well as a handout booklet of information, with optional private, one on one instruction on Sunday.  Cost is only $130, contact Bruce to reserve your slot now.

Anaconda Forster: Race report, results & photos

Thank-you to all who competed at the inaugural Anaconda Adventure Race at Forster - your patronage will ensure that the event continues and prospers into the future. You may already have stumbled across our race report online, if not, sit back, pull up a chair and have a read of how New Zealand's Richard Ussher broke the international duck and how Christie Sym extended her victory tally to an impressive 4 out of 5.

Meanwhile, full results are also available in more  formats than you can poke a stick at, as are a selection of the nearly 4,000 shots taken by our intrepid photographers over the two days of racing.  Click here for results, here for day 1 photos and here for day 2 photos.

Entries are OPEN for the 2008 Keen Adventure Race, Alps To Ocean

Entries for the Keen Adventure Race, Alps to Ocean event taking place next year from 8th to 12th April have opened and already the field is 25% full. We are delighted to see that many of those who took part in the Great Ocean Road version of this 5 day stage race earlier this year have already entered and booked their place to pit themselves against the new Alps to Ocean course.

Early entrants receive priority assistance with booking boats, boat transportation and accommodation.  No exceptions, this is first come first served.  Enter here now either in the elite pairs divisions or the "no support crew required" 2 of 3 category.

Top guns, famous musicians enter Lowan Otway Odyssey

Expectation and anticipation is already building for the Lowan Otway Odyssey 2008 with many of Australia's best mountain bikers having already entered the race.

A quick scan down the entry list will show that Tory Thomas (Australian female XC champ, recent European World Cup racer and winner of the 2007 Otway Odyssey), Shaun Lewis (from ACT - 2nd in the National Marathon Champs this year and 2007 Otway Odyssey) and Aiden Lefmann (top ranked national XC rider and 5th 2007 Otway Odyssey) have all scheduled the event into their racing calendars for the new year. These guys are no doubt attracted by the tough but spectacular course, the high quality competition and the fabulous Otways riding (and, well maybe the $30,000 cash and prizes too!).   Enter here now.

Ski-camp Geographe Bay

Held last weekend as a joint iniative between Rapid Ascent and the WA Department of Sport and Recreation, the inaugural "Ski-camp" was a huge success. Testy conditions greeted 80 paddlers in beautiful Geographe Bay as they were separated into 3 different ability groups. Preaching to these would-be ocean warriors was a plethora of ocean paddling afficionados.

Olympian Yanda Nossiter, 9 times world Ocean paddling champion Dean Gardiner, 3 times Uncle Toby's ironman champion Guy Andrews, and an array of local surf-ski stars including Dean Beament, Nick Taylor, Pete Leaversuch and Markus Brockhurst were among a group of 16 instructors brought in especially for the occasion. {Click here for the full story.}

Tri-X off-road triathlon series

For the ultimate Lorne Anaconda Adventure Race preparation, tri X off-road triathlons are offering a discounted Spring Series entry option AND the chance to be a sponsored athlete for the day, winning the ultimate TRI X STAR race experience ... Race I in the series returns to Lysterfield Park by popular demand! Explore this adventure playground on Sunday 28th October with a 500m swim in a beautiful lake, a 20km MTB ride taking on the Commonwealth Games MTB course and ending with a fantastic 6km run through some awesome forest trails.

Race II is going back to Anglesea on the Surf Coast for another pure off-road adventure triathlon. Start the race on November 11th by hitting the surf off Anglesea Beach, before 20km of great MTB trails ... {Click here for full story.}

Gravity 12 hour MTB event - worth it for the views

The Gravity 12 Hour mountain bike event is fast approaching with discounted entry available until the end of September. Get your entries in early and save! Now in it's 5th year, the 13km course of mostly smooth flowing singletrack and some fire trails is set for Saturday November 10, 2007 at Rosewhite near Myrtleford in the mountains of North East Victoria. The Gravity 12 Hour is worth entering just for the awesome camping site location under the peaks of The Pinnacles with views across to the imposing Mt Buffalo plateau. It's the sweet smooth flowing singletrack in native forest and farmland that is the big attraction though. Sure to leave a smile on your dial. For all the details visit the Gravity website.

Birthday girl Meg O'Leary wins early bird $500 Anaconda Voucher

Meg O'Leary is returning to the Anaconda Adventure Race in Geographe Bay, WA for the second year to celebrate her birthday in style. Her aunties may not be sending $$s in the post on birthdays any more but fear not - Anaconda are sending her an early bird winning $500 Gift Voucher. Meg's done the research and is heading straight to the Anaconda store to buy a sexy new therma-rest with her winnings.

Meg, who is sponsored by Keen Footwear, told us this week that she can't wait for the race in WA this year with the all-new MTB course. She is training hard with her coaches and friends. Meg has “a great training group at the weekends - all friends that I have met as a result of the Anaconda race.  {Click here for full story.}

Give it a Go (NDNS) in WA and you never know what might happen!

Team Give it a Go NDNS were a two person team heading for the Anaconda Adventure Race in Geographe Bay before they recently won the early bird $500 Anaconda Gift voucher. Now everyone wants to get in on the act with them. Sean and Gab teamed up while they were meant to be studying nursing at Notre Dame Uni. This week, they asked their friend Anna to take a team photo for this article and now she wants to be part of their lucky, winning ways. The question is - will Anna get a cut of the $500 voucher if she swims like a super fish on race day ? We reckon she should! Sean and Gab are clearly enjoying a laid back approach to training and sound really excited about the prospect of the race ... {Click here for full story.}

Forster early bird prize draw winner Chris Delaney has many reasons to be cheerful

Chris Delaney was "shocked" to come 6th overall at the recent Anaconda Adventure Race in Forster and even more surprised when we told him he was the lucky individual athlete to be picked out of the early bird entry hat to win a $500 Anaconda voucher. Chris did the Forster race solo this year as his wife and previous Anaconda team-mate is expecting a baby.

The idea of racing so close to home and next to some of the best adventure racers in Australia, (not to mention a fairly handy Kiwi), was too good to miss for Chris. It sounds like the race didn't disappoint either "the scenery throughout the whole event was incredible ..." {Click here for full story.}

Get race-fit for Lorne at the Hayden Vic Ski Series

Get ship shape for the Anaconda Adventure Race at Lorne at the Hayden Vic Ski Series which is returning in November and December, 2007 to a new location - Albert Park. This will be the event's second year running and is expected to attract the best ski and kayak paddlers from around Victoria. Points will be allocated for sprint stages as well as finishing position over the two events. The event will be exciting and is open to all paddlers.

Race 1: Sunday November 4th, 10.30 am start
Race 2: Sunday December 2nd, 10.30 am start

Race distance will be no longer than 10km. {Click here for full story.}

WA paddling's - 'Big Five O'

We think there's no better learning institution than the University of the Paddling and the ocean is the ultimate teacher. So for your self betterment, stop mincing on the lake and bust your cherry on WA's 'Big Five'. One of the highlights of the international paddling calendar with pros and amateurs competing for big bucks and cool prizes the Ocean Challenge Series offers a top shelf paddling experience for athletes of all stripes looking to spruce up their skills.

Share a "back in my day" yarn with legends like Dean Gardiner and Oscar Chalupsky as they dust off their old school ski's to give you a flogging on a salty smorgasbord that'll put your heartbeat into machine gun mode. {Click here for full story.}

John Jacoby joins the field of elite Australian & international racers to tackle the Webber Challenge

F1 drivers, V8 drivers, World Champion adventure racers, tri-athletes and runners, musicians, TV personalities, Olympians and our very own John Jacoby will be in Tasmania in November to compete in this year's Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge (MWPTC).

Anaconda Adventure Racing Gold Coast and Forster champions Guy Andrews and Richard Ussher are also heading to Tassie to add a real competitive edge to this fund raising race. The Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge from 17th to 23rd November is a 450km, seven day adventure race which is set in some of the most isolated and challenging wilderness in Tasmania.  {Click here for full story.}

Rainbow Ride cycle challenge, Byron to Currumbin

Looking for some early summer sun? Head North to Byron Bay on 10th and 11th November and join the Festival of cycling in one of the most beautiful and challenging rides in Australia from one stunning location to another. The Rainbow Ride cycle challenge goes through the Northern Hinterland known as the Rainbow region from Byron bay NSW to finish at Currumbin on the Gold coast in Queensland.

This is a sport cycle challenge event open to anyone with a bike. 2 distances, 120k and 66k with Solo and Team categories as well as a 2 person relay in the 120k event. The 120k course has a real European profile with 4 main climbs. Online entries are open here now. All event information including training program/camps are at www.summerofcycling.com

Melbourne Cycling Festival, 19th - 21st October 2007

Join in the celebration of all things cycling, from racing to commuting and recreation, and all things in between at the Melbourne Cycling Festival from 19th - 21st October 2007. Starting with the Friday Night Prologue including live music, the opening of the GO Bike Expo and Spokes Bar, and a free movie to get you warmed up, and ending with the Portfolio Partners Around the Bay in a Day, the Melbourne Cycling Festival is going to be huge. Make sure you make some time over the weekend to come down to Alexandra Gardens and Kings Domain in the heart of Melbourne and try some free entertainment and activities, check out the latest products at the GO Bike Expo, watch the elite battle it out in the final two stages of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour or be there for the prize giveaways

Anaconda Geographe Bay commemorative wine

Premium Margaret River Wine producers Happs Winery have become this year's official wine partners of Dunsborough's Anaconda Adventure Race. The winemakers at Happs have bottled a limited-edition 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon 'Endurance' especially for the event.

“As all good winemakers know a wine that endures a little hardship and struggle bears fruit that has greater character and flavour. With that in mind we have dedicated this wine to the athletes of the Anaconda Adventure Race"

All orders to be picked up at registration at Geographe Bay. Click here to read more and place your order.