Richard USSHER is currently one of the most impressive performers in a long list of homegrown multisports athletes hailing from the Antipodes. He has spent the last few years travelling the world as an integral member of some of Adventure Racing's most prestigious teams, like SEAGATE and NIKE, perfecting his technical abilities and accumulating an extensive catalogue of experience, not to mention winning almost everything, in the process.

Last year he put together his own handpicked, high-octane squad and continued his winning ways with a well-deserved victory in the inaugural Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge. To complement his incredible strength, stamina and 10 years of sporting experience he added his wife, a tried and tested all-rounder and former member of Finish powerhouse team NOKIA Elina USSHER. Aaron PRINCE, one of New Zealand's most accomplished orienteers and a previous teammate of Elina's, was an obvious choice as team navigator. The finishing touch was provided by Gordon WALKER, calm and collected under stress and guaranteed to deliver on any course that involves running, biking or kayaking.

Richard reflects on last year's race:

What was your fondest memory from the race last year?

There were lots of fond memories from the race. Highlights included the first day of sea kayaking, the first day in the desert and the mountain section near Al Ain. Obviously there was also immense satisfaction in winning the race and two factors made it even sweeter. Firstly we had to finance the trip ourselves and having no sponsors added to the pressure to gain financially from the result, otherwise it would have been a very hard time after the race. Secondly, to come away from such a close race, especially with Nike but also Helly Hansen, Lafuma, Orion and all the other top teams, showed great composure and real grit from the whole team.

What did you learn about racing in general and racing in the desert in particular?

No matter what the race you always learn something new, we got a few reminders on the second day about strategy and making sure we knew the rules - especially when there is no one to discuss them with on the course - and to keep a close eye on the competition. In the desert, the overwhelming memory is of not having adequate gaiters and the constant struggle to keep as much sand out of them as possible. For us it became a losing battle.

What makes you want to come back this year?

The reasons to return include the format, which is conducive to fast and close racing, the race organization which always put on a very good race and they seem to try and cater more for the athletes than many race organizations - examples of this are the fact their courses are fun as well as challenging and that they can make good decisions when things don't go to plan, like the camels last year and trying to keep it as fair as possible for the teams when it was out of their hands as to the performance of their beast.

What impact does the race format have on your team selection?

Our team is very much based around competing more in stage races than expedition races so this format suits our strengths. I really feel for AR to move forward and to get more support from the media again it has to have a format that is more compact and has better racing like the stage races. "Suffer fests" where it is all about just survival don't make for compelling viewing when you are competing against "Survivor" style shows where they can manipulate the group dynamics to get more conflict etc. In my opinion, we need the sport to be covered as a sport, not a "freak show".

What is the team dynamic, with respect to individual strengths and weaknesses?

We have based the team around having good strength in the main 3 disciplines - Running, Cycling and kayaking. Individuals are all at different levels for things like rope skills and this is primarily based on the experience each member has had in AR. We're trying to create an environment where everyone can get and give encouragement within the team to improve each other's skills and therefore the overall skill of the team. We also try and put a focus on enjoying the experience

What are your off-season preparations and future training schedules running up to the race?

At present we are all just starting back after a break from our summer of racing here in NZ. Most of our training will be based around getting general fitness up and then we'll look at any technical skills we need to improve for specific races

How does this race fit into your annual sports schedule?

This race will be one of our target events if we can get back there, I think the format suits us and Abu Dhabi was a very interesting place to visit and race in.

How do you feel about your prospects this year?

It will obviously be a tough race with so many good teams there but we'll be taking the same approach as last year and as with any race we'll be aiming to take one day at a time and to try and keep ourselves in contention for the win.