USWE Adventure Team

Fitted my ride with the luggage today. Designed for adv and dual sport motorcycles, but fits any bike. It almost looks like it’s custom made for this one.

Note! These products are from the coming product line (soon to be released). But the fit is very close to the available products.

• Mojavi saddle bag
• Zigzag handlebar bag
• Klamath tail rack bag

The injury situation stops me from any riding… except this throttle e-bike. So I figured it should be fitted with the best luggage out there.

This was not according to the plan.

Have struggled with a never ending cold 🥶 for weeks. Finally feeling better. Was hoping to be on the MTB in a couple of days, but f it up with a dirtbike crash.

X Dislocated and broke right thumb 👎
X Seriously sprained left wrist.

And worst of all…

X Broke left ankle.

I’m happy that I wore a chest protector as I smashed into a rock 🪨 with the chest. Also happy that nothing serious was hit or injured. Still the combo of injuries makes me not very mobile (to say the least).

Will find out later this week if thumb and/or ankle will need surgery.

If you learn anything from adventure racing, it is that everything will not go as planned. When 💩 happens it’s about not freaking out, handle the situation and find a new way forward.

Riding down the mountain this Friday was challenging, but with a little suffering and creative technique I got to the emergency room.

Not sure what to learn yet, but this season is definitely lost. Main goal is to summit some of the peaks in the Cascade range before the snow hits.

Seems like we got away cheap at Pico Blanco yesterday. A month ago a small plane crashed in the jungle, just by the trail in the most inaccessible area. The wreck is still there. We passed it with respect of the 5 people that lost their lives that day.

The high altitude jungle is truly amazing. Super steep and technical in several sections. We enjoyed the >2000m mountains with unexpected chantarelles and amazing nature(didnt know you could find Kantareller in Costa Rica!!).

Just when we started the descent Helen got in trouble. When moving in these surroundings it’s normal to get bruised and scratched. To get scratched by a log/root/rock/tree/bushes/thorns/whatever is just part of the deal. But this was different.

A sharp branch stabbed Helén’s lower leg and the movement of running was enough to slice a deep cut.

The cut was bad. We used my tank top and calve sleeves to stop the bleeding and put pressure on the wound. It worked out and was enough to get us down from the mountain.

The evening was spent at the emergency room and with three (!!) layers of stitching, IV antibiotics and some painkillers we got back to our place.

A reminder for all of us enjoying the outdoors. Bring a friend. It’s the best safety equipment without a doubt. If not, make sure to bring the gear needed for whatever could happen.

Mountain ⛰️ climbed. Price paid.

Is it hard to race nonstop for several days and nights? Well. It is. Always. These two pictures might give some insight. At TA 4/5 with only one night to go.

Post race picture after 18h of racing and a couple of hours of sleep in a cargo van. 0% BS. 100% glamour.

We signed up the day before the Rainer Raid adventure race and did a solid performance. Start at 6am Saturday in Ashford, Washington and finish by midnight. Running, bushwhacking, MTB and pack raft with some tricky designed navigation.

Next time we might actually prepare for a couple of weeks and maybe also bring the road book for all stages. Watch out… we might just be ahead of you 😃

Thanks for being flexible and have us enter the race last minute and also a big thanks for having us paddle your .packrafting Barracuda !!

Why USWE packs for adventure racing? Simply put because they (USWE) gets it. They race. And they race hard. Here is Jacob Westerberg CEO of USWE, his wife Helen, and the rest of the team taking 6th place at the 2022 ARWS - Adventure Racing World Series World Championships. (Team BendRacing/4HourFuel took 7th that year). If their packs had sucked, the team suffers, and we would have beat them! So you know they are committed to working out the kinks and continually testing and improving the packs.

And we are pleased to announced that they are stepping back into the AR arena, as USWE Adventure Team has officially committed to race America's Toughest Race : Expedition Oregon.

Furthermore, we are working with them on a sweet secret packraft carry system for those packraft/trekking legs that will work well with just about any pack regardless of size. Stay tuned. And yeah - you might want to read into that a bit for those of you racing EO. Or the Magnificent. Or Adventure Immersion Lab's Raid the Rockies. Packraft carries happen. Best to be prepared.

USARA Adventure Racing Discussion Group