Lucozade Challenge: Yacht Racing Post 7: Race Day has arrived

After a few days of hardcore practice sessions to nail the basics, the tactics and the skills they need, our winners are ready to go...



So with that, we boarded the boat to take us out to the Yacht for the penultimate time. The next time we set foot on shore, we'll either be winners... or losers.

The race itself will consist of seven legs, well - let's just hand over to the team shall we?



And with that, we lost the game.

But! And this is one almighty BUT!!! - Rob took us to one side after the race and said:

"Guys, I have to tell you something. Last night we (the staff) had a meeting about today's race. We race like this all Summer for tourists and cruise ships and, if we want to, we can make either yacht win whenever we want to. We could've fudged it today, we could've *let* you win and you wouldn't have known.

But, having seen the team training all week. Having experienced first hand how well you all worked together and how much effort and dedication you were all pouring into this challenge, we decided that today's race would be 'for real'. They threw everything they had at us today and still we came *that* close to beating them. I'm so proud of you all for doing what you did, you have no idea how close you were... half a boat they beat us by, we sure gave them a run for their money. Well done, all of you."

How about that? We were racing against a fully experienced team, who was captained by the most-experienced skipper in the bay (and arguably the world) and we came THAT CLOSE to beating them!

Amazing.

Well done Team Lucozade! A well won, and worthy second place.

Lucozade Challenge: Complete.

Lucozade Challenge: Yacht Racing Post 6: Let's go Snorkel!

After a long day sailing yachts out at sea, there's nothing that's quite relaxing like an afternoon of snorkeling.



Keeping the energy up after working all morning (given that our winners could've opted to sit by the pool all afternoon), is no easy task. But once again, proving their worth as Lucozade Energy Challenge Winners, our team step up accordingly.

Lucozade Challenge: Yacht Racing Post 5: Out at Sea

This morning has been awesome. All the basic theory we went through on shore all became suddenly very real the moment we got onto the boat. The diagrams that Rob had shown us on his whiteboard now made much more sense and, after just a few sails up and down the bay, we're feeling a lot more confident about the Race on Wednesday.

Tomorrow we have more training ahead of us. Now we have the basics down, it's time to talk tactics.

But first, let's find out from Rob himself (and the winners too) exactly how they all got on today..

Lucozade Challenge: Yacht Racing Post 4: To the Yacht!

That over there, on the right hand side, is our yacht: The Stars & Stripes. Part of the winning syndicate of yachts that won the 1987 Americas Cup.

And today... we're allowed on it

Lucozade Challenge: Yacht Racing Post 3: Back to school

Strangely enough, before we're allowed ANYWHERE NEAR a multi-million dollar, Americas Cup winning yacht boat, we have to go through some rather intensive training.

Admittedly, this isn't so hard when your classroom looks like this:



Heh, anyway - this is Rob Brinkworth.



Rob is is in charge of our motley crew over the coming days. Under his strict tutelage will we be able to beat the other yacht when it comes to the big race on Wednesday.
So we're all listening... VERY CLOSELY

Lucozade Challenge: Yacht Racing Post 2: Say hi guys! :D

Lucozade Challenge: Yacht Racing Post 1: We're on our way! (at last)

We arrived at Gatwick to meet our new winners, Al, Jon, Clare and Trevor. They're a little bit excited.. well, I say 'a little' - I actually mean A LOT.



You see, unlike the rest of the winners to date these four have had a bit more time to prepare themselves mentally for the challenge ahead. If you remember, this trip was postponed due to an impending hurricane... Yes. So no danger there then.
Much.

Our destination today is St Maarten in the Caribbean, via Antigua. I don't know about you, but when I hear 'Antigua' I then think of 'Tortuga' and then I think of Pirates of the Caribbean...

I can't see Johnny Depp flying around chasing ghosts on an F1 Americas Cup Winning Yacht though, can you?



Report back soon guys...

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 15: Coming to the end

After yesterday's day of glacier climbing, today we're to head down the mountain. Walking the 2500m all the way down and that means an early start...



Today is the last full day in The Alps and these guys have been very worthy winners.

Congratulations guys! Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing - is COMPLETE!

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 14: Glacier Climbing

The first few days we were here we walked across mountain tops, scaled stone walls and reached the summit of 3600m.

None of that however, has involved climbing glaciers. Today, that will change!



We set out after breakfast to get to the ice (which moves by the way!) as quickly as possible, and when we arrive - we're not disappointed...







Once we find a safe (read: not *that* dangerous) part of the glacier to practice our technique on, we each take it in turns to learn new skills in climbing, ice-axing and crevasse-lowering...

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 13: A tour around Mont Blanc

There can only be photos to show you this...

WOW

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 12: Up to the lodge

After yesterday's gargantuan efforts in rock-climbing and energy-sapping activities it's nice to know that today we can take it easy a little bit with a short helicopter ride up to the next lodgings... A few of us a bit under the weather today, I think it might've been something we ate - so a day or rest and relaxation is much appreciated...



Hurrah for Helicopters!

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 11: Making it back alive

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 10: The Long Way Down

After spending all day reaching the summit, so we begin the long way back down again..



To keep us safe Eddie, our guide who you met earlier, has to stay at the top...



...while we go down ahead of him. Lee, who was at the end of the rope at the start now finds himself at the beginning, feeling his way down and forming a path for all of us.



Lee was a Legend and helped us all out on the way, guiding our feet and hands as we went down after us.

Nice one Lee.

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 9: Interviewing the Guide

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 8: We made it!

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 6: Arriving up high

Arriving up at the third and final station, 'Punta Helbronner', we realise the sheer magnitude of the task that lies ahead.



Packing up our kit, our lead guide, Eddie, explains to us the importance of the equipment. The crampons... (these bad boys)



...are for keeping our footing on the ice. Next up is the rope; each of us is tied to another three. Fortunately Me, Paul and Lee get tied up with uber-guide (and suspected Mountain Goat) Eddie.



Which leads me onto the final piece of essential equipment: Your friends. I've known these winners for less than 24hrs and yet all of a sudden we're tied to together and the relying on each other to not fall off and pull us all to our doom.

Trust is going to come into play over the coming hours and days, you can just feel it.

Onwards Gentlemen! Onwards!

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 5: Up, Up, Up!

After yesterday's day of training, this morning we're to head high up into the mountains for some more intense, more difficult rock climbing.

Thing is, to get up to the part where we need to be we need to traverse not one...



Not two...



But THREE different cable cars!



Yes, we really are THAT HIGH.

3500m high in fact.

The views from up here, are spectacular:

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 4: Day One - Complete

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 3: Say Hi Guys! :D

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 2: Do More

"DO MORE" screams the tagline on this blog, DO MORE is indeed something we've been doing. The flight over here was a measly 1hr and 15mins. Amazing really given the travels that have been laid before our previous winners, however - because there's less time spent in the air, that means there's more time to spent... DOING MORE!

No sooner are we dropped off at the hotel, are we back on our feet again and out the door to embark upon our first 'training' trek up the mountain. It's 13:15 local time and these lads drove down at 2:30am this morning from Birmingham. 'Hard core' doesn't quite do it justice..

Up. We. Go. !!!

Lucozade Challenge: Glacier Climbing Post 1: Meet the Winners!

Meet Mark, Paul, Chris and Lee.

As our profile piece says these guys are experienced climbers, all in training for Kilimanjaro in September. So this competition is perfect timing for these gents as they prepare mentally and physically for the challenges ahead.

Our destination is Entreves, Geneva. According to our itinerary, the hotel we're staying in for half of the trip (we'll come back to the other half later), is known as the Hotel Auberge de la Maison and it overlooks Mont Blanc.

Nice.

It's 8am, we're boarding in 15mins. The flight is an hour long and we're to start our training almost immediately.

And there we were thinking it was going to be easy.... ;)