Windsurfers, get ready for Sylt!
On Wednesday, May 16th, the German Windsurf Cup will have its first event of the season. The event takes place at Westerland on the mythical island Sylt in the German North Sea.
This event will feature both the European Championships in Formula racing as well as a tour stop for the German waveriding competition. Formula racing is considered the “Formula 1” of windsurfing with high speeds and packing fights even in low wind speeds. Waveriding is one of the most specacular disciplines of windsurfing. Both fluid “surf-style” waveriding as well as spectacular tricks and jumps will be judged.
Best of all, the wind forecast for Westerland / Sylt is really looking good at the moment with winds gusting to 30 knots on the first event day. During the event you can have a look at our wind reports for Brandenburger Strand / Westerland directly at the event site.
Interview with pro kiteboarder Seb Garat
We have interviewed professional kiteboarder Sébastien Garat from France. Seb won the KPWT World Tour twice and the the European Championship (Kite Tour Europe) last year. Seb is 28 years old and lives in France. He is sponsored by RRD and Cool Shoe. Here is what he had to say:
Q: You have been competing at an international level for several years now. Do you like competition a lot? Could you imagine kiteboarding without competition?
A: Yes, I have been traveling to competitions since 2005. It’s quite a long time now and it’s been a lot of events. Of course, I really like to compete and I always had this on my mind since I was very young. I’m doing this because it’s a pleasure even if sometimes it’s hard to lose, but I think I could not imagine my carreer without competing.
Q: At age 28 you are probably the oldest frequent freestyle rider on the tour. Are you not afraid of being beaten up by the young riders? For how long do you think can you keep up with the younger riders?
A: Of course, at most tour stops I am the oldest freestyler on tour. Cesar Portas has the same age but he quit the PKRA, and Mike Blomvall is older than me but he only does a few tour stops. Young riders are coming to the tour every year, and actually they push me to keep training to stay at the top level. It’s hard sometimes for my body, because freestyle is very tough now as we need to be perform with more power, more speed, more height. But for the time being, I’m still able to be ranked in the top 10 of the World Freestyle ranking so I’m gonna do it as long as my body can do it. I hope for a few years still. I will see how long I can hold on.
Q: Do you have any advantages compared to the younger competitors?
A: With many years competing, I think my biggest advantage is the experience. I know exactly what to do in a 7 minutes heat and I have perfected my timings in the competition. And now, I don’t feel any pressure when I’m competing, and that’s something really important.
Q: What are your plans after retiring from the freestyle competition?
A: I always liked to perform a show for the spectators, and I would like to make more and more demos and kite shows. I love to see people screaming and smiling when I’m doing a 15 meters jump in Leucate or a mega loop. That’s a part of my job I think to show what kitesurfing really is about and how beautiful it is to watch. So I hope to make more and more demos for the promotion of my sport.
As well, I created a clothing brand just one year ago with 2 friends. It’s called Madone. We bring all the life style of travelling and beach sports to a high end “sport couture”. It’s a french chic ready to wear.
Q: How come you spend a lot of time in New Caledonia? Do you stay at with your friend Tom? What is it like to live in such a remote place surrounded by water?
A: I discovered New Caledonia in 2006 and I really fell in love with this island, its beatuy and the quality of the kiteboarding spots there. I used to spend a lot of time there on the past 4 years as I had a girlfriend there. But life changes, and now I’m back living in Montpellier. But I’m still going there 1 or 2 months a year to enjoy the wind and visit some really good friends like my mate Tom Hebert! When you stay in New Caledonia like, I spend almost every single day on the water. Either kitesurfing, surfing or when there is now wind I go fishing! That’s a good life.
Q: What is it that you enjoy most being a professional kiteboarder? Learning new tricks, making movies, hanging out with friends, traveling, etc.?
A: Being a professional kiteboarder brings you an incredible freedom. I have a lot of time to fill, and I need to plan well. I participate in competitions, do photo shoots trips with magazines or sponsors and other events like promotions etc.. I like every part of my lifestyle. Traveling is something I truly love, and the best part of it is that I do it always with close friends who share the same passion.
I also really like to work with some good photographer during photo shoots. It’s hard work, and it’s a pleasure to make the best possible shots e.g. find the best position and timing to jump where is the best place to jump, where to look, how to move the body, etc. At the end of the day, you can enjoy the shots that were the result of a continuous adjustment process.
Q: You won the Kite tour Europe last year? What is the KTE like compared to the PKRA? What is the level of riding. Do you like this structure of global, continental and national championships? What could be improved?
A: Yes, I was crowned European Champion last year. I’m really happy about it. The KTE looks like the PKRA. It’s a freestyle tour, only in European countries. The level is quit good with a lot of riders doing it. Of course it’s not as hard of the PKRA as the top PKRA riders didn’t do the tour. But it was quit challenging to fight against some of the best European riders.
The tour is very well organised, and very professional after only 2 years. I’m sure it could be bigger in the next year. I think there would be even more riders if the prize money increases.
Q: Have you got the Windfinder app for Iphone? Do you like it? What is missing/what could be improved?
A: I really like it. I expected an app with only wind forecast, and was really surprised to see how complete this app is. You can configure a “wind alert”, so you don’t need to keep watching the forecasts. The app alerts you when it’s windy at your favorite spot. It also has news from the kiteboarding scene. Very cool! Go and get it!
MINI Kitesurf Tour Europe succeeded in Podersdorf!
Sunny temperatures, tropical feeling and windy conditions made the first tourstop at Lake Neusiedl / Austria of the MINI KTE 2012 to a felicitous kick-off event. 95 riders out of 22 nations started in Podersdorf to embattle the first title of the European Championship. A part of the 119.000 Surfworld Cup visitors and exhibitors, supported the professional kitesurfers with action and lust for life, while a full display of the newest MINIs lined the beach in style.
Four actionful days with good wind conditions made it a spectacular event. Freestyle competitions turned out to be exciting and created by a big fight between the nations. In the single and double eliminations, the two local friends Schitzhofer and Spiessberger were riding against each other. But austrian power was not strong enough to beat the german star Mario Rodwald. At the end of the final eliminations, Mario Rodwald and Chiara Espostio from Italy earned first place, with local star Stefan Spiessberger and Michalina Laskowska achieving second, Michael Schitzhofer and Barbara Stechauner, also local austrian riders, in third.
In racing disciplines, the colombian rider Laccesse won over this event. The french racers Julien Kerneur and Maxime Nocher taking place two and three on podium finishes. For the women, Alice Brunacci from Italy was riding really constantly throughout the whole competition. Making a huge mark on the event as well, Christine Bönniger, in the first race event of the MINI KTE, finished at an amazing second place.
Finally, the closing ceremonies and awards signified the end of the MINI Kitesurf Tour Europe in Podersdorf. Up next for the MINI KTE 2012 will be the MINI Kitesurf World Cup in Sylt (26 june – 01 july 2012). This competition stop promises to deliver special freestyle and ultimate racing action put on by top riders. The event in Podersdorf was incredibly well organized and successful, and plans for next year’s tourstop event is already under discussion.
Get ready for Kitesurf Tour Europe 2012!
Big clouds in the air and windy conditions mark the start of the MINI Kitesurf Tour Europe 2012 in Podersdorf/ Austria. The first tourstop starts with 106 riders from 19 nations. The kiters will fight for the European titles in both Freestyle and Racing.
Podersdorf is a nice small village straight on Lake Neusiedl and it is the most famous surfspot in Austria. The lake is ideal for all types of kite surfing and windsurfing, especially suited for beginners and intermediate sailors: Despite its size, the lake is very shallow and a normal sized person can stand and touch the bottom at almost any point.
The last few days the Surfcup Podersdorf already took place with a lot of Windsurfing action on the water in hot and sunny conditions. The wind forecast for Podersdorf looks promising with warm temperatures and enough wind for the whole event.
German Kitesurf Trophy Damp finished
The first stop of the German Kitesurf Trophy 2012 came to an end. There ware 72 kitesurfers registered to battle in both racing and feestyle. Thousands of visitors enjoyed the beach life and the action on the water.
In course racing, last year’s juniors champion Florian Gruber had to start in the men’s fleet this time, but he managed to win almost all races. Christine Bönniger and Jannis Maus could also win almost all races in the women’s and juniors fleet. For the freestyle competition, there was not enough wind during the weekend so the single elimination could not be finished.
You can find a good summary of the event by watching the daily videos in the Kitesurf Trophy video channel on Vimeo.
