Top 7 Adventure Novels

It's time for another Top 7 list from our friends over at Adventure Journey. This time, it's the top seven adventure novels with some really great books on the list. I particularly like Kim by Rudyard Kipling, Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days and Into the West which is a popular asian tale. There are a few on the list I haven't read yet, so I guess I can pick a few up for some light summer reading.

The Vocabulary of the Tour

It's day five of the Tour de France. Another flat, fast stage that gives a lot of riders hopes of winning the whole thing, which are later dashed in the Pyrenees and completely crushed in the Alps. While browsing for some news on the Tour earlier I came across this article that explains all the terminology of the Tour. For instance, it explains how each of the climbs are classified, what all the different jerseys are awarded for (It isn't just about the Yellow Jersey you know!), and a whole lot more. Great stuff from Stellar Magazine.

Outside On The Tour!

Outside Magazine is reporting from the Tour de France for the next month, as the field is clearly blown wide open this year with the top four riders from last year no longer in the race. Currently, Thor Hushovd is wearing the Yellow Jersesy after winning the time trial on Saturday and re-claiming the top spot today from American George Hincapie, who has toiled in the shadow of Lance Armstrong for the past few years, but is not ready to stake his claim to his own Tour victory.

And while you're over at the site, be sure to read their profiel on Floyd Landis, another American who hopes to make the world forget about Lance.

PQ Update from Merrell

Team Merrell/Wigwam Adventures finished third at Primal Quest over the weekend, and not Team Captain Robyn Benincasa has updated their team blog with thoughts on the race, what it feels like for it to finally be over, and the incredible sprint they had at the finish to place just in front of Team Supplier Pipeline. Great read for a little behind the scenes insight into the race that we probably won't get until it airs on ESPN later this fall.

I love reading Robyn's blogs. She's a no-nonsense racer with tons of experience, and she always tells it like it is. She's one of my favorite racers because she's tough as nails, determined, and in incredible shape. If you followed the race, you know that Merrell lead the way for much of it, but coming down the stretch it looked like they might finish off the podium. I'm glad they found a way to dig deep, push on, and make it over the finish line in third place. They deserve it, and I offer a huge congratuations to Robyn and her "Kiwi Boys". Great work gang!

PQ Podium Set

As I mentioned earlier, Nike Powerblast won this years Primal Quest with GoLite coming in second. Joining them on the podium is Merrell who managed to hold off Supplierpipeline and Saloman/Crested Butte by two minutes. That rounds out the top five, with the only other team to cross the finish line at this point being Bjurfors Adventure Racing in 6th place. There are still plenty of teams out on the course, and they'll straggle in over the next few days. Lets just hope they all finish safe and in good health.

Gearbox: The Symbiot Sportback Pack

Are you in the market for a small, light weight, pack for your adventures? If so, check out the Symbiot Sportback. This very cool looking pack is designed for running, hiking, biking, and just about any other outside activity. The pack is specially designed to hug your body, and stay in place, while you move. It's small, designed to carry just the necessities, and has pockets on the chest for quick and easy access to your important gear. Best of all, it's hydration ready, so you can bring a drink along on those hot days. It looks like they're taking pre-orders on the Sportback, with the intention of shipping this Summer, so if the pack looks good, get your orders in now!

Nike Wins Primal Quest!

It's official. Nike crossed the finish line ahead of GoLite this morning, claiming their fourth straight PQ title. Early this morning, both teams were pulled off the final ropes leg because of a lightning storm in the area, and both were forced to re-climb that section. GoLite pushed Nike to the end, but it wasn't enough to catch them. You can read all about the finish here.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of the teams are still out on the course. Merrell is about an hour ahead of Supplierpipeline at the moment, and they'll most likely decide who gets to stand on the podium next to Nike and GoLite. PQ started out with 89 teams. Two have finished, 67 more are still racing, and 20 have withdrawn for one reason or another. Considering the difficulty of the course, and the heat the teams have had to deal with, I'm surprised that only 20 teams have pulled out. More later as we get further news and teams crossing the finish line.