Articles tagged “adventure travel”

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Australian Cadel Evans wins 2011 Tour de France

by Kraig Becker on

The 2011 Tour de France came to an end yesterday on the Champs Elyesees in Paris, where Australian Cadel Evans rode to victory in the race’s famed Yellow Jersey. After more than three weeks of racing, Evans emerged from the pack as best rider in this year’s event, and became the first man from Australia to win cycling’s premiere event.

With a course designed to challenge the riders in unique ways on every single day, fans of the Tour expected this year’s race to be an exciting and wide open one. They got everything they wanted and more, as the 2011 Tour de France featured all kinds of dramatics, particularly when the race entered the high mountains of the Pyrenees and the Alps. During the three weeks of racing, there were daring breakaways, brilliant individual performances, and cringe-inducing crashes, including a nasty incident with a media car that sent Dutch rider Johnny Hoogerland flying into a barbed wire fence.

Before the race started back on July 2nd, the pre-race favorites included not only Evans, but also defending champ Alberto Contador of Spain and the brothers from Luxembourg, Frank and Andy Schleck. Contador was bogged down with crashes early in the race, injuring a knee in the process. Those mishaps cost him precious time, and despite a spirited attempt in the final days of the Tour, he never quite got into the rhythm that has won him the Yellow Jerseys on three separate occasions in the past.
Heading into Saturday however, Andy and Frank Schleck sat at first and second in the standings respectively. Working together, the two men had managed to claim a small lead over Evans coming out of the final mountain stages. Saturday’s stage was an individual time trial however, which is not a strong point for those two riders, and is a particular strength of Evans. The Aussie rode one of the best rides of the day, and left the two Schlecks in the dust, claiming the victory. The two brothers slid to second and third in the final standings.

As is traditional in the Tour de France, Sunday is mostly a ceremonial ride into Paris. While the Peloton will joust for the final stage win, and the sprint specialists duel for the last available points of the race, no one attacks the Yellow Jersey. As a result, Evans’ ride to the finish line in Paris was essentially a 60 mile long victory lap, one that he particularly enjoyed after two second place finishes in previous Tours.

Cadel’s big win is expected to open the door for more Australian cyclists to leave their mark on the sport, much the way that Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong inspired young American cyclists. Australia already has a proud cycling tradition, but this win will give the sport yet another boost in the country.

Congrats to Evans on the amazing win.

[Photo courtesy of AFP]

National Geographic celebrates 100 years of Machu Picchu

by Kraig Becker on

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the rediscovery of Machu Picchu by explorer Hiram Bingham. That discovery became one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century and has been inspiring adventure travelers to visit Peru and South America ever since. To celebrate the occasion, National Geographic has launched a fantastic Machu Picchu website that offers a wealth of information about the Inca stronghold, along with stunning photos and tips for those who want to visit the place for themselves.

The website has a number of great articles for travelers and history buffs alike. For instance, the list of top ten secrets of Machu Picchu is a fascinating read, while the gallery of famous visitors is fun as well. You’ll also find the latest theories on what the mountain-top city was used for and get to read Bingham’s own historic writings about the discovery itself. The experts at National Geographic also provide six excellent alternative hikes to the famous Inca Trail, as well as five other “must see” places to visit while in Peru. And when you’ve finished digesting all of that information, you can test your knowledge on a Machu Picchu themed quiz too.

It is highly doubtful that Bingham had any idea that his amazing find would one day become one of the most popular tourist attractions in South America. Each year, thousands of travelers flock to Peru just to visit the place for themselves, and while the site is often crowded with people, it remains one of the greatest ancient structures found anywhere on the planet. So, while you’re going about your day today, take a moment to give a tip of the fedora to Bingham and his wonderful discovery. One hundred years later, it is still inspiring a sense of adventure.

[Photo courtesy National Geographic/Jeff Bridges]

ABC to launch “Weekend Adventures” this fall

by Kraig Becker on

The ABC television network has announced a new line-up of weekend programming for the fall, with a host of new outdoor and travel related shows on the docket. This three-hour block of programs will include six new shows that will air under the ABC Weekend Adventures umbrella, immediately following Good Morning America in 95% of the U.S. market.

The six new shows that will each occupy 30 minutes of the time slot, beginning with Jack Hanna’s Wild Countdown. Each week the show’s well-known host will offer a top ten list of animals that occupy a specific category. For example, the top ten fiercest predators or the ten most colorful birds. The aim of the show is to offer insights and images on some of the magnificent wildlife that occupies our planet.

Joining Jack Hanna will be Jeff Corwin who will host a show entitled Ocean Mysteries, which will take us deep under the ocean to explore the amazing plant and animal life that lives in our seas. Mark Koops, the creator of The Biggest Loser, will produce a show called Agents of Change, which will demonstrate the ability for one person to have an impact on the world around them, while The Delicious Adventures of Claire Thomas sends its host, and her kitchen, to a variety of communities looking for inspiration to create tasty and healthy meals.

Perhaps most interesting of all will be Born to Explore, an adventure travel show hosted by explorer Richard Wiese. The show will send Wiese into Australia‘s Northern Territory where he’ll explore the culture and myths of the Aboriginal people, while giving viewers a breathtaking tour of geography and archaeology that exists in the Outback.

The new shows are set aimed at viewers of all ages, although they will have a slant towards the teenage crowd. They are set to begin airing on September 3rd.

Nepal to remeasure Mt. Everest

by Kraig Becker on

The government of Nepal has announced that it will remeasure the height of Mt. Everest in an effort to settle a dispute with China. This new survey is expected to take up to two years to complete and will likely provide the most accurate measurement of the height of the mountain ever.

Back in 1955 a team of Indian surveyors, using the best instruments available at the time, recorded the height of the mountain as 8848 meters or 29,029 feet. Since then, that has been the official measurement recognized by the Nepali government, despite the fact that both the Chinese and an American survey have offered differing numbers in the year since. Chinese surveyors argue that the snow on top of Everest shouldn’t be included in the measurement, and as a result, they list the mountain as being 8844 meters (29,015 ft) tall. On the other hand, a 1999 U.S. survey using GPS devices pegged Everest at 8850 meters (29,035 ft), a figure that is used by National Geographic when covering the Himalayan peak.

Mt. Everest falls along the border of Nepal and Chinese-controlled Tibet. In recent months, the two countries have been holding talks to discuss issues that have arisen along their common borders, with officials on both sides of the table continually using differing heights when referencing the mountain. This small point of contention has prompted Nepal to re-measure the height of the summit, which is a source of great pride for the smaller nation.

In order to gain the most accurate measurements possible, climbers will carry sophisticated GPS systems to the summit, where measurements will be taken in three different locations. Because of the challenges involved with scaling the world’s tallest mountain, officials say that it could take upwards of two years before they have a new reading on the height. Considering how sophisticated GPS tools are these days, this latest measurement is expected to be the definitive answer as to just how tall Mt. Everest really is.

More downhill mountain bike race insanity

by Kraig Becker on

Remember that crazy downhill mountain bike race from Chile that we featured a few months back? Well here’s another one that is sure to have you questioning the sanity of the riders once again. It’s called the Megavalanche and this year it was held on the famed Alpe-d”Huez in France. The race gets underway at the 9840-foot summit, and features a mass start that has the riders scrambling, jostling, and crashing into one another as they careen down the side of the mountain. The chaos at the beginning is just part of the fun however, as the course features 6000 feet of vertical drop, spread out over 18.5 miles, through terrain that is as beautiful as it is treacherous.

It took this year’s winner, a man by the name of Remy Absalon, 40 minutes to complete the course, with other riders continuing to roll in over the next few hours. To truly appreciate what they had to go through however, you’ll need to watch the video, as it really is one impressive and scary ride.

This weekend, the cyclists competing in the Tour de France will roll into Paris and across the finish line after three weeks of racing. Those guys have nothing on the insane riders in this event.

[Photo courtesy Alpedhueznet.com]