First North American Team Set To Compete in Upcoming Windhoek Lager Namib Quest Extreme Mountain Bike Race
WINDHOEK, Namibia (April 24, 2012) – Colorado-based elite multisport athlete and journalist, Jessi Stensland, has joined the first North American team to participate in Namibia’s six-day Windhoek Lager Namib Quest Extreme Mountain Bike race April 29 through May 4, 2012.
Approximately 100 teams from across Africa and the globe will participate in this six-day, 500-kilometer/311-mile journey from the Namibian capital Windhoek to the coastal town of Swakopmund through the remote Namib Highlands. The Windhoek Lager Namib Quest is an extreme safari by mountain bike where participants will travel through some of Namibia’s most iconic landscapes, including the soaring sand dunes of Namib Naukluft National Park.
“I’m thrilled to have the amazing opportunity to take part in this race while experiencing some of the stunning untouched landscapes Namibia has to offer,” said Stensland. “I think it’s only a matter of time before the Windhoek Lager Namib Quest joins the ranks of other global ‘bucket list’ events on the extreme mountain bike circuit.”
Stensland joins teammate Luis Vargas, and Manager of Adventure Travel Programs for REI, North America’s leading outdoor adventure retailer/consumer cooperative and travel provider, who is also an avid mountain bike racer and photographer. Luis is also a valued member of Sustainable Travel International's Board of Directors.
Both teammates will be covering the race on assignment for Active.com which receives 1.7+ million unique visitors a month. The pair will also contribute to other North American traditional and online media, while generating video footage of the event for future use by the event organizers and for editorial purposes.
Sustainable Travel International works very closely with festival and event planners throughout Namibia as part of the North American Destination Marketing campaign.
About the Windhoek Lager Namib Quest
The Windhoek Lager Namib Quest is the only true multi-stage mountain bike event in Namibia – an extreme wildlife safari on wheels, through spectacular landscapes, desert, and indigenous villages to the ocean. Riders will have the privilege of passing through areas that are essentially closed to the general public, providing an up-close-and-personal connection to Namibia’s unspoiled land.
An eco-friendly low-impact race village is built each night, complete with hot showers, catering, massage therapists and a mechanical support team.
For more information, visit AEP's Namib Quest website
About the Namibia Tourism Board
With the mandate of promoting tourism both nationally and internationally, ensuring the quality of accommodations and other tourist facilities, and developing environmentally sustainable travel practices, the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) was formed by an act of Parliament in April, 2001. It brings together both the private and public sectors and is the only national body devoted entirely to implementing the national policy on tourism. The NTB’s domestic and international offices provide custom-tailored services to the members of the travel trade.
To discover more about Namibia’s vacation experiences, visit Namibia Tourism
About The Team
Jessi Stensland (www.gojessi.com) is an elite multisport athlete and video journalist, with 20 career wins both nationally and internationally. In 2004 she won the Half Ironman Mexico, her first attempt at that distance. The highlight of her career however was the Olympic journey which culminated with the 2004 US Olympic Triathlon Trials where she finished 4th and 6th among the American women. Since 2006 Jessi has covered events such as the Tour de France, the Ironman World Championship and the Tour of California. She recently covered the Boston Marathon for Powerbar. Her sponsors have included Specialized bikes, Oakley, ClifBar, Asics, Active.com and XTERRA wetsuits.
Luis Vargas is the Manager of Adventure Travel Program team at REI. Luis has spent more than 15 years in the Adventure Travel industry guiding, managing and developing business across the globe. He has previously held leadership positions with leading brands such as Backroads and The Walt Disney Company. Luis has raced his bike competitively in such events as the Everest Challenge, the hardest stage race in USA cycling. Luis currently rides for the Second Ascent team based out of Seattle, Washington.
The Stensland-Vargas team’s participation in Windhoek Lager Namib Quest is supported by Air Namibia, Africa Extreme Promotions, and the Namibia Tourism Board North American Destination Marketing Campaign.
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Event Contact:
Tinus Hansen
Africa Extreme Promotions
Mobile: +264 811 288 481 / +264 811 275 778
tinus@aep.org.na
Media Requests:
Terry Levine – Media Liaison
Namibia Tourism Board – North America
212.725.0707 x. 128
terry.levine@aboutdci.com
