You compete in 4 different disciplines: sprint, h2h, slalom and last but definitely not least: downriver ! You better start training ...
A helmet and life vest are mandatory for safety reasons. More than that is up to you.
We’d like to give you some good advice though…
Food & drinks will be available the whole day through.
You can also register for the barbecue and breakfast later!
The race location itself is not reachable by car, only on foot/bike. Therefor it is important to know where to park and walk.
Each of the teams will go down a short part of the river – about 300m – as fast as possible; your time counts for the standings. You only have one go! Giving yourself 200%!
You have to navigate through more than 10 gates along the course. Hereby the green gates have to be taken downstream, the red gates need to be passed upstream. If you touch the gate with anything (boat, body, paddle, …) 5 penalty seconds will be added to your time. If you miss a gate, push it or take it the wrong way, 50 seconds will be added on! In the end, the finishing time plus the penalty seconds will be your ending time. Fortunately, you have two runs and the best one counts. Here the combination of agility and mean strength does the trick.
Based on your sprint-result, you are divided into a tournamentschema. You go down the short stretch again, but this time you start alongside another team. The winner of this heat will go through to the next round. Although a fast start is mostly decisive, tactics can be important.
The downriver is the most rewarding discipline. Because it is also the hardest one. The one that divides girls from women and boys from men. It consists paddling down of a long stretch of river– and in our case also paddling up a part of the river. Depending on the conditions it takes from 30 minutes to an hour of non-stop paddling with everyting you’ve got. Have fun!
Since this is Belgium, temperatures can vary strongly from 20C down to freezing, so be prepared and have a look at the weather forecasts. A helmet and life vest are mandatory for safety reasons. More than that is up to you. We’d like to give you some good advice though…
Be sure to have decent clothing for water use. A full body wetsuit or long john is advised. Although the temperature outside may be fair, the water will still be cold. Your life vest over the wetsuit will help to keep you warmer as well. If you happen to have a (semi-)water proof vest to put over the wetsuit, it will keep you dryer against the splashing water.
If you don’t have gear of your own, you can rent wetsuits (€15/suit). Be sure to mention it clearly on the registration form. The rent includes neoprene longjohn, vest and shoes.
Shoes are also a must have. You can wear sneakers that of course are able to handle the water, but you can also e.g. acquire neoprene surfing shoes that will help keeping your feet warm. The shoes don’t just protect your feet against the cold, but are especially important for protection against rocks, in case you would exit the boat.
Last but not least: be sure to have a dry towel and clothes.
The rafting competition is approaching fast: very soon you'll once again(?) be cheering at your co-rowers in the world's most enjoyable vessel!
Since the inner man needs some energy after such an effort, food and drinks will be available all day at MAVA, the local kayak club.
However, they also organise a barbecue in the afternoon and breakfast on Saturday, for which registration in advance is necessary. Registration will open and you will be contacted by mail later.
Click on the links in the text to view the locations on GoogleMaps
The race is held at the kayakclub MAVA. in Tillf. It is situated along the Ravel, a biking and walking way along the river.
However, it is forbidden to drive or park here. The closest place to park and use as a GPS address is up the hill, along the Rue de Tillf Angleur. From there, you can go on foot from the bridge down the walkway to the Ravel and MAVA
Directions: On the E25 Liege - Bastogne or Bastogne - Liege take exit 40 - Embourg. When you arrive at the roundabout, drive towards Angleur. Turn right at the traffic lights: this is the Rue de Tilff where you can park.
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