Registration Day:

Registration for the third freestyle stop of the 2014 PKRA tour began today in Leucate, France. Celebrating the 18th edition of the Mondial Du Vent, the event is the longest running kiteboarding competition in the world. Notorious for its strong Tramontane winds that blow from the north, the event always offers challenging conditions and a spectacular venue for a world-class event. 

Under sunny skies and 35-40 knots of winds, many riders trained today in the classic strong offshore winds in anticipation of the start of the event. In total, 47 men and 17 women riders representing 21 countries registered. 

For the next five days, the Mondial Du Vent is expected to draw thousands of spectators and kiteboard fans to the Mediterranean seaside to enjoy the excitement of the kiteboarding action and festive atmosphere of the event village in La Franqui. With 37,000 Euros in prize money on the line as well as valuable tour points, the level of intensity in the air is thick.

Tomorrow’s forecast calls for lighter winds but should hopefully offer the opportunity to run the men’s and women’s trials for the main event. Riders will meet at 10 am with a first possible start of 10:30 am.

Don’t miss any of the action and tune into the live stream here to watch it all unfold over the coming days. As always, stay tuned to the Facebook and  Twitter feeds for start times, updates, and all the latest info from the PKRA World Tour.

Day 1:

The first day of the Mondial Du Vent was a lay day and provided beautiful spring conditions. After yesterday’s typical strong winds, the morning arrived calm and sunny with only a slight breeze blowing from the south. 

Following a rider’s meeting in the morning, the light wind conditions continued and allowed plenty of time for riders to enjoy the nice weather and to catch up with other competitors, as well as interact with the crowds of fans and spectators. Despite an unfavorable forecast for the day, hopes were high for a mid-day push of wind.

As the afternoon progressed, the wind never showed. However, a relaxed mood and attitude persisted that only a sunny and warm day in the south of France could create. Competitors and visitors strolled the boardwalk and cruised around on bikes and skateboards enjoying the various activities of the village and beach area of La Franqui. 

The wind forecast for the coming days is favorable and tomorrow is expected to see the return of very strong offshore winds. The legacy of this event is unmatched by any other kiteboarding event and with the potential for tomorrow’s wind speeds to reach up to 50 knots, the anticipation for the 2014 Mondial Du Vent continues to mount. 

The rider’s meeting tomorrow will begin at 9am with a first possible start at 9:30 am. Join us on the livestream to watch it all unfold. Stay tuned to the Facebook and Twitter feeds for start times, updates, and all the latest info from the PKRA World Tour.

Day 2:

On day two of the Mondial Du Vent, strong, variable winds created challenging conditions as the trials and round one of the men’s single elimination were run. With a bit of carnage and some big tricks landed, this third tour stop of the PKRA in Leucate, France, delivered the massive winds that this location renown for.

In 25-35 knots of wind, the trials got underway early with riders using 4-6m kites to do battle for a coveted spot in the main event. Midway through the trials, the wind began to drop as big lulls between the gusts forced riders to use bigger kites, and also allowed for some more consistent landings. During the later rounds, strong wind returned, and despite some close heats, there were no major surprises.  Most of the top riders moved to the main event. Noteworthy performances came from Liam Whaley from Spain, Luis Cruz from the Dominican Republic, and tour rookie Linus Erdman from Germany. 

The single eliminations launched into some of the strongest winds of the day and saw winds recorded on the beach up to 45 knots.  As many riders struggled in the extreme winds, it was clear that the conditions required a different approach and well thought out strategy.

“Try to do simple tricks but keep them nice and powered and don’t go into your tricks slow and tentative like you are scared or something.” commented Liam Whaley of his strategy for the day. Commenting further, “I think that this made the difference for me.” 

The spectators seemed surprisingly unfazed by the conditions as they lined the edge of the beach and cheered on the competitors enthusiastically.  Despite the strong offshore winds and difficult conditions, some impressive riding went down. The heat between Whaley and Cruz scored the highest for the day with solid tricks from both riders including a Hinterberger Mobe and S3 from Whaley and S-Mobe and impressive 317 from Cruz.

In what was one of the most jaw-dropping tricks executed today, Felix “Posito” Martinez went for a huge kite loop on his 4m. As the kite came through the wind, Martinez was rocketed downwind as his kite hit a gust launching him horizontally, only to land with his kite overhead and to ride away clean. 

Along with the extreme action came some spectacular crashes. Former World Champion Youri Zoon was sidelined back on the beach halfway through his heat today after a particularly bad one that did not permit him to finish his heat.

Elaborating on the day’s conditions, Robinson Hilario explained, “Today the wind was crazy strong and gusty and there were a lot of really bad crashes, but the spot is good, the water is flat and warm. I went out with a 5m and it was just way too much but I made it through my heats.  Tomorrow I hope that there is a little less wind, to take out a bit bigger kite would be perfect, but, whatever, you just have to go for it.”

As the afternoon progressed the wind continued to build and the decision was made to wait for lighter wind conditions before starting the first round of the women’s single eliminations. The coming days forecast is for less wind. Riders will meet tomorrow at 9:30 am with a first possible start at 10 am.  Stay tuned to the Facebook and Twitter feeds for start times, updates, and all the latest info from the PKRA World Tour. Watch the livestream of the Mondial Du Vent.

Day 3:

Christophe Tack and Gisela Pulido won the single eliminations today at the third stop of the PKRA 2014 in Leucate, France.

On day three of the Mondial Du Vent, PKRA riders turned up to the beach eager to compete in the lighter winds that the forecast had promised. At 10am, the green flag went up and the first round of the women’s heats got underway. Although the conditions were lighter than those of yesterday, the wind on the inside was gusty at times and ranged between 21-34 knots.  With riders using kites sizes between 5m and 9m, the demanding conditions of the Mondial Du Vent continued. 

The men’s ladder saw heat scores much higher than those of yesterday with most heats being won by a solid margin.  One exception was a close battle in the semifinal between Aaron Hadlow and Marc Jacobs.  Hadlow demonstrated impressive skills throughout the day riding with calculated precision and timing his trick attempts to make the most of the challenging conditions. 

In his heat against Jacobs, Hadlow opened with an explosive 315 that earned the highest trick score of the day. Although Jacobs rode with his branded full- power style, landing numerous big tricks - including a high scoring S-Mobe and Hinterberger Mobe, amongst others, Hadlow took the win by 1.2 points, landing a solid variety of tricks such as a Crow Mobe and notable Double S3. 

Christophe Tack climbed the ladder beating out Reno Romeu in the semifinals, landing him in the battle for the top spot against Hadlow. In classic Leucate conditions, both riders completed huge tricks in an intense fight for the win. However, Hadlow started to struggle midway through the heat, missing his attempts at a Blind Judge 5 and lacking the necessary execution on his Crowe Mobe 5 to score the extra points needed. 

Tack continued to land tricks consistently, stomping amongst others, a Front Blind Mobe, Back Mobe 5, and lastly a massive Blind Judge 5. It was a close fight to the end but Tack took the win, earning the highest heat score of the day and winning the single elimination. 

The women’s division was equally impressive.  Notable upsets in the quarter finals came from Annelouse Lammerts, who rode well and beat out Bruna Kajiya, who struggled to find her groove. Also, Manuela Jungo won over Annabel Van Westerop who also had a difficult time with the conditions.  

The winner’s final between Karolina Winkowska and Gisela Pulido was nothing short of impressive. Both riders landed big tricks worthy of any men’s heat.  Going trick for trick, the ladies attacked the water with Pulido landing a nice Slim Chance and Wikowska pulling off a notable Back Mobe. In the end it was a very close heat with Pulido inching ahead by .29 points for the win.  

The wind is forecast to continue throughout the duration of the event with tomorrow being the lightest forecast for the remainder of the event. Riders will meet tomorrow at 10am with a first possible start of the double elimination at 10:30 am. Stay tuned to the Facebook and Twitter feeds for start times, updates, and all the latest info from the PKRA World Tour. Watch the livestream of the Mondial Du Vent.

Annelous Lammerts verslaat Bruna Kaijya

Youri is niet zwaar geblesseerd en hoopt dat de doubles nog even op zich laten wachten zodat ie daar weer mee kan doen.

Tack wint de singles

wow en hoe! 

Youri heeft net z'n eerste heat in de doubles gewonnen, blijkbaar valt de blessure wel mee. 

youri heeft meer dan z'n eerste heat gewonnen,
de gehele rij tot zover, klasse!

Mooie heats bij de dames, Annabel is door naar de laatste 4, Youri ligt er helaas uit.

Tack heeft gewonnen met 38.24 puten!

Hij had een perfecte heat met geen een enkele crash.

en wat een scoren, niet normaal meer!

Heel knap van Tack. Ben nu al erg benieuwd naar de volgende PKRA. Krijg het gevoel dat Aaron dichterbij komt qua nivo