Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

We start at midnight tonight. And when it's dark here, it's really dark.
Deep forest canopy, clouds and mist block any ambient light. The first loop
winds through the date palm forest - hillside trails, crossing creeks,
winding around the towering palms. It's gonna be interesting :)

I don't have an official list of starters, but I believe there are around 15
entries in the 120km CEI*** ride which starts at 10pm, around 25 in the 80km
(non FEI) which is what Leo (longtime Belgian friend Leonard Liesens) and I
are riding, it starts at midnight.

There is also a 40km ride and a 15km young riders ride the next morning. The
short rides (our LD and Introductory rides) are viewed here as strictly
Introductory distances. They have minimum speeds (6km/hr for the 40km ride
and 5km/hr for the 15km ride) and also maximum speeds (14km/hr for the 40km,
and 15km/hr for the 15km). Anybody finishing too slow, or too fast is
disqualified. This is a good system I think.

An interesting perspective: FEI now requires that all sanctioned distances,
including 40km rides (equivalent to our LD) must be conducted as 'first to
finish' with crossing the finish line as the determination of 'finish'. They
do not use pulse criteria to determine finish, they recognize it as a race,
first across the line. The 40km rides I watched in Argentina were very very
much a race - gallop out of the start, gallop across the finish line.

Leo and I are being given two seasoned horses that were shipped over last
month from Sabah (on the island of Borneo) - both mares, in their teens,
they seem pretty reasonable. Horses are in great demand here, many recently
purchased from Australia, but there still aren't enough horses for all the
new riders wanting to get involved in endurance. Plus those that do have
'going' horses are trying to qualify for the Asian Games - the Asian
continental championship - which is being held in Doha, Qatar in December.
So we are actually lucky to have horses at all. They both vetted in fine,
we'll see how it goes.

HRH Sultan Mizan (officially - DYMM Deputy Agong or Deputy King - Sultan
Mizan Zainal Abidin of the State of Terengganu) is riding in the 80km ride.
He will be Malaysia's next King, and his interest in Endurance has really
sparked the growth of the sport here. He's the force behind the bid to hold
the 2008 WEC n Terengannu. Several Malaysian riders, including Mizan, are
shipping horses to Germany this month, to try and qualify for the Aachen
WEC. There are so few rides here in Malaysia, and even fewer 160km events,
that just qualifying is a challenge. They do have a lot of nice horses now -
almost all of them imports from Australia. I met Paul Brown - an Australian,
here as trainer for HRH Sultan Mizan. He had some very interesting comments
and observations about doing Endurance in a tropic climate. His comments
about doing the WEC here - yes, it can be done, but the horses must have
time to acclimate, and it's not going to be a 'race'. It's going to be a
matter of pacing, slowly covering the miles, a very technical challenge.

Back in Malaysia - it's so wonderful to be here again. The Malaysian
hospitality is incredible. Such friendly welcoming people, they just make us
feel instantly at home.

I left from New Orleans Sunday evening. I had gone there for a family
reunion to celebrate my parents' 80th birthdays. It was very poignant, and
the shadow of Hurricane Katrina was over everthing. My brother and his wife
live there, evacuated before the hurricane, spent a month in Florida and
Virginia until they were permitted back into the city, and arrived to find
two of their three houses (two rentals) uninhabitable. They were above the
flood zone, but Katrina tore the roofing off, and then Rita (the next
hurricane a couple weeks later) dumped rain in all the exposed homes, and
the houses were ruined - mold, water damage, 30 days of high temps and high
humidity - they had to be entirely gutted and rebuilt. They are living in
their little rental (the 'slave quarter' house next to their shotgun style
home in an old neighborhood, close to the river, a few blocks from the
French Quarter) while they rebuild their houses, but it's a slow process. My
brother is a wood worker and architect so he is doing the work himself, it
will take time.

I took a tour of the flooded neighborhoods in New Orleans with my older
brother and neice. It was unbelievable. The city is a ghost town, empty
ruined homes, both the poor neighborhoods - and the elegant wealthy
neighborhoods. People that are still living in the city are living in white
FEMA trailers, parked in their front yards. I couldn't have imagined how bad
it is, still can't get over it. I took some photos, most of them from the
lower 9th ward, where the worst flooding occured - they are at
http://www.endurance.net/Edaranclassic2006/gallery/flood_gallery/ ... very
sad. to see the holes chopped in the roofs where some people were able to
crawl out and escape the flood (or the authorities manage to get in to look
for survivors). All the lives which came to an instant standstill. and then
disappeared.

So - 27 hours after leaving New Orleans, I arrived at Kuala Lumpur airport.
I was met at the airport by Dr. Nik - still full of enthusiasm and humor and
adventure, he's a special guy. settled into the Corus Hotel, a nice little
hotel very close to the KL Towers (still the most beautiful architecture
I've ever seen). Nice to be in the city, and it's a very vibrant city -
especially at night - it seems to come alive when the air cools. the lights
come on - lots of neon - and people fill the streets. I really like this
city - it's clean, safe, and beautiful. But the traffic is awful!

Thursday morning we did a little bit of tourist stuff. Edaran has provided
us with drivers - cute Eddy, the young student, and Asri - a very
knowlegable and gracious Malay - new employee of Edaran, just back after 3
years working in San Francisco - fiber and IT technology. He's a wealth of
information - running commentary on everything - the history, culture,
politics, geography, technology - he's been a lot of fun. A wife and three
children (his youngest daughter was born with a congenital heart defect,
received a heart transplant last year on Valentines Day, at the age of 4.
she has a new life now).

We were taken out to Ar-Raudah Wednesday afternoon - to meet our horses and
try them out. Afterwards we went up to the club room for 'High Tea' (still a
lot of British influence in this recently liberated - 1957- nation). It was
nice - Malaysian food, friendly atmosphere. Edaran Digital Systems is owned
by Tansri Tajuddin, a very gracious and generous man. Tansri is also a
horseman, though not actively riding any more - he also owns Ar-Raudah, the
equestrian center where the ride is being held.His son Azri rides Endurance,
and most of the company is now quite familiar with  and involved in the
sport - this is the only company I'm aware of in the country that is
directly involved with - sponsoring - Endurance. A few photos from Wedneday
are at http://www.endurance.net/edaranclassic2006/gallery/may05gallery/ .

Friday morning we relaxed, stayed at the hotel. (I'm waking up at 5am every
morning so far, can't go back to sleep - but a good time to work I suppose).
We headed out to Ar-Raudah around 1pm . I took a bunch of pictures during
the drive, just for a little flavor of the city (road images at
http://www.endurance.net/edaranclassic2006/gallery/may06_drivegallery/ ).
Stopped by the very very nice KL Equestrian Center, where there was a tack
shop with lots of Endurance stuff as well as jumping/polo/etc. I left my
helmet back in Idaho, had to get a new one! There was a couple at the tack
shop looking for last minute items for the wife's first Endurance ride - she
would be doing the 40km Sunday morning.
(http://www.endurance.net/edaranclassic2006/gallery/may06_drivegallery/pages
/IMG_4988.htm)

Another stop at a Starbucks for much needed caffiene, and then on to
Ar-Raudah for the ride technical briefing and vetting horses. (in the rain!!
http://www.endurance.net/edaranclassic2006/gallery/may06_vetgallery/ )

We're headed back out to Ar-Raudah this afternoon - a presentation forum at
4pm - one of the vets will speak on the special challenges of Endurance in
the tropics, Leonard will talk some about preparing a horse for WEC level
competition, and about the Aachen course. I'm supposed to talk a little
about pacing and ride strategy. we'll see...
We'll have dinner at 8pm, and then Flag Off for the 120km at 10pm (Dr. Nik
is riding the 120), and Flag Off for the 80km at midnight. I'm truly
concerned about staying awake... even for the start! Hopefully a nap early
this afternoon, and lots of Starbucks.

more later -

Steph

(main website is http://www.endurance.net/edaranclassic2006)




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