5/1/04: Find out more about WOC 2005
Back in November Jamie, Jon and Dan visited Japan to do some groundwork for WOC 2005. You can see some photos and a film clip of their experiences on the WOC 2005 page. They took part in a sprint race and a classic race during their travels and trained on several of the WOC training maps. The overall impression was very positive - great maps, good organisation and some of the most exciting and unusual terrain in the world.

The underfoot conditions are generally good with the forest floor either clear or covered with short bamboo grass. The steepness makes it incredibly tough and the trio of Brits struggled to break 10mpk in training or racing. Technically it is more difficult to pick and execute a good route choice than it is to find the controls. According to Jamie, "it is easy to run down the wrong ridge and find a deep gully inbetween you and the control."

Culture-wise there were no real difficulties for the Brits - with the possible exceptions of the length of Japanese beds and the fishy diet! The main impression was that Japan is a very friendly and beautiful country.