Up in the Pyrenees at the moment there is a sporting event taking place that is a little out of the ordinary. La Pirena is referred to by the locals as the Paris-Dakar of the mountains. Fifteen days of stage racing from Zaragoza to La Molina.
‘Ahh some kind of wacky motorsport’ I hear you say, but you would be wrong. We are talking sleds, dogs and a serious amount of ‘whooping!’
Started in 1990 by a chap called Pep Pares, La Pirena is Europe’s answer to the greatest of all mushing races the Iditarod. The event has three categories; Open, Nordic and Skijording, with the former being the most contested and the latter involving an individual racer wearing outlandish lycra being dragged along on skis by a couple of dogs.
There are both day and night stages with some taking place in neighbouring France and Andorra.
We are mid way through this year’s event and the Open category has a distinctly German flavour to it. Last year’s winner Bavarian Tom Andres is battling it out with fellow countryman Ullrich Kuhn for top spot, with the reigning champion just 28 seconds behind.
The final stage is in Spain’s oldest ski resort La Molina on the 19th of this month. So if you happen to be sliding around on skis in the area and you have never seen mushing up close and personal, it is well worth popping in to enjoy the show.
To keep up with the action online visit,
http://www.pirena.com/eng/index.asp
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