The third instalment of the Urge Fabien Barel invitational series, on location at Cape Verde, 500km off the coast of Senegal in West Africa…
FROM DIRT ISSUE 110 – April 2011
Words by Rowan Sorrell. Photos by Sven Martin.
This was the third instalment of the Urge Fabien Barel invitational series, the previous events took competitors to Kenya and Nepal. This year the location was Cape Verde, an archipelago made up of 10 islands situated in the Atlantic Ocean some 500km of the coast of Senegal in West Africa. So just what exactly is a FB invitational Urge event? Well they are multi faceted and not easy to define simply, but if I had to sum them up with one word I would say they are all about adventure.
The organisers set out to find unique locations that have never been ridden before in this way, to create an adventure where the riders and the public discover and learn about other cultures and for the event to leave a lasting impression with a positive impact on the area from the event’s fundraising actions. This is of course in exchange for the stunning landscapes, remote tracks and trails, and the rich experience that everyone enjoyed. The format for this year was four runs over four different courses, on two different islands, with no inspection of the courses (all runs were blind), it meant that no–one (except Fred Glo – main event organiser – who had visited Cape Verde eight years ago on one of his Tribe trips) knew what to expect. Riding the trails relied on reading the terrain and your anticipation to get you down quickly and safely.
On board for the trip were fifteen riders including four downhill world champions: Fabien Barel, Jerome Clementz, Tracy Moseley, Hans Rey, Anka Martin, Greg Doucende, Mark Weir, Nico Vouilloz, Rene Wildhaber, Marco Nicoletti, Sam Peridy, Sabrina Jonnier, Sam Normand, Doro Lindtke and me! Fred Glo and Manou Gauzy made this trip happen and took care of all the complicated logistics before and during the event and the media crew essential to capture the stills and video of the event as it happened. >>
