Nicolas Caillou is the lead kite designer for Takoon Kiteboarding. He started to kite in Montpellier with foil kites in 1998 after 15 years of windsurfing. He used the same beach as Franz Olry and Christopher Tasti - top riders at the time and pioneers of the sport.

After finishing his PHD degree he accepted a position as test rider for Wipika in Montpellier. His PHD studies enabled him to make a mathematical model for Takoon which defined the best parameters (profile definition, tip length etc.) as a function of the kite size. The Wook, his first design, was born, and the rest is history.

What are your responsibilities at Takoon?

I design the entire range of kites and bars. I also contribute some technical innovations for harnesses and am in charge of production.

What do your day to day activities involve?

The structure of my days is different and is determined by wind. If it is windy, I do my computerized job in the morning and go for testing new stuff and ideas in the afternoon. On windless days, I work and plan new ideas to test when the wind is back. When I sleep I think about new ideas.