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Preparations are under way for a team of three
men to cross the Gobi desert using kite buggies.
Kieron Bradley, 30, and Peter Ash, 34, both from
Norfolk, and Professor Brian Cunningham, of Manchester, have sent
their equipment for the expedition to Mongolia and are now undergoing
their endurance training.
Here, Brian writes about the team's preparations
for the expedition.
Packing the crates
A few weeks ago, we all went to Pete’s garage for
the crate closing ceremony as it's always a major milestone in an
expedition. It was a hectic day but in the
end we squeezed everything in.
This is worse than packing for a holiday! |
We packed three Gobi-spec’d Typhoon buggies, plus
three spare buggies as back-up and 36 wheels (we’re expecting the
rough terrain to be very hard on tyres) all set up with Protex tyre
sealant to reduce the risk of punctures.
We also put in 27 kites (a full set of nine kites
each ranging in size from 1.8sqm to 11sqm), three tents, sleeping
bags, mattresses and the rest of our camping gear along with loads
of spares!
Pete and Kieron have done an amazing job in getting
the buggies together in time.
As usual there was a host of last-minute things
that needed to be done but in the end it all came together and the
crate has now started its long journey by sea to China and then
overland by rail to Mongolia.
We expect it to arrive in mid-August and be waiting
for us when we get there.
Now the three of us have to work on our kiting
endurance in preparation for three weeks of eight-hour buggying
days.
The team must practise riding the buggies |
Endurance training
First, we’ve developed an off-line flying system
that transfers the kite load from the pilot to the buggy.
This dramatically reduces the effort required and
eliminates the risk of getting lifted out of the buggy by a gust
of wind!
We’ve all done extended duration runs of three
to four hours using the off-line system without needing a rest,
while kite-buggiers using conventional harnesses have been forced
to rest every half-hour or so.
In the Gobi we will have a strict policy of always
flying the smallest kite that will do the job. This is precisely
the opposite of what we normally do on a beach, which is carry the
biggest kite we can at all times!
We’d much prefer to travel safely at an average
of 10 – 15mph than risk everything by blasting along at 20 – 25mph.
We are all experienced kiters who are well used
to long, hard sessions on the beach. Now that the crate is packed
all we have to do between now and our departure is to spend as much
time in our buggies as we can.
On a long expedition like this, we will build our
kiting endurance as we go.
Close-up of the specially adapted buggy |
Fit as horses
Last summer my wife Christine and I hiked the John
Muir Trail in the California Sierras from Yosemite to Mount Whitney.
It is 220 miles and we crossed a high pass almost
every day for three weeks. We had to carry all our food so our packs
were huge.
When we started we wondered how we could keep going
but by the time we’d been on the trail for a few days we were as
fit as horses. The secret is not to push too hard too early.
In the Gobi we will start slow and hopefully finish
fast. By the time we are a week into the expedition we will be capable
of doing consecutive eight to ten hour days.
Finally, the secret in not getting tired is never
to operate at more than about 60% of your maximum capacity. Every
burst of 100% is very costly.
I’m an ultra distance runner and this really is
the secret. I hope I can pass on my experience to Pete and Kieron!
Read the interview
with buggy riders Kieron Bradley and Peter Ash »
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