Day 5: 

For day 5 of the Pringles Kitesurf World Cup we awoke to strong winds and rainy weather. Quite the contrast to the last sunny days here in St. Peter Ording.

After the 8am riders meeting, the Men's Freestyle Qualifiers got underway immediately. The conditions were not at all easy, with rain and gusty winds of up to 30 knots, but the riders put on an amazing performance to try and work their way up the freestyle ladder and fight for one of the 8 spots available in the main event.
 
Some hightlights of the morning included Russian rider Anton Cherkashin (RU/Cabrinha) who did a massive 315 off the kicker, a great performance which allowed him to advance to round three. Also advancing was Patrick Blanc (ES/Ozone)who showed that he is a rider with plenty of experience and pulled off an amazing and clean heat, especially considering how difficult the conditions were.



The Freestyle Qualifiers were run consistenly throughout the day. Needing to complete a total of 56 heats, it was non-stop freestyle action back to back. The rider's were fighting hard, and the public thoroughly enjoyed watching all the new, young, up and coming riders who were each hoping to gain a place in the main event.

Dutch rider Sander Bos (NED/North) was certainly on form today, and delivered an amazing heat against the British Youth Cup Champion (U15 category) Tom Bridge (GB/North). Bos landed a very powered S-Mobe amongst other things, but then unfortunately crashed his kite and did not manage to relaunch it for the remainder of his heat. Even though Bridge rode extremely well, it was Bos who advanced to the next round.

Oswald Smith (ZA/Airush) was another rider who was on fire today. After a disappointing start to the competition a few days ago, Smith managed regain the lost ground by passing his heats in round 2 and 3 by performing nicely powered backside 313, front to blind and a front-side 7. He was certainly happy with today's performance.



Tomorrow, the Freestyle Qualifiers will be completed and we will then know who the 8 riders are who will advance into the main event. 

For the women, the conditions were difficult, but that did not stop them from giving it their all and putting on exceptional performances. Rita Arnaus (ES/Best) and Therese Taabbel (DN/Cabrinha) put in notable performances and were happy to pass through to round 4. Other girls who showed great skills were Francesca Bagnoli (IT/North), Dioneia Vieira (BR/Gin)and Kristiin Oja (EE/North), who are all ready to put up the big battle tomorrow to gain one of the 4 spots in the main event. 

After a remarkable day with just over 11 hours of back to back heats, the day's action came to a close due to the rising tide. The rider's meeting has been called for 8am tomorrow morning, with the first possible start at 8.30 am. The focus will be to complete the Freestyle Qualifiers and to get started on the main Freestyle Event. 

Day 4:

It was an early start for the rider's on day 4 of the VKWC in St. Peter Ording, with the temperatures feeling somewhat lower than the previous days here. The slalom racers prepared their gear under the overcast skies and got ready for a morning full of rapid racing action. 

The first rounds of the men's and women's third slalom elimination were run successfully. We witnessed an exciting final for this 3rd elimination, after frenchman Julien Kerneur (FR/Airush) and his team mate Oswald Smith (ZA/Airush) went over early and were disqualified. The second start of the heat was incredibly tight with Florian Gruber (DE/Ozone) in the lead followed closely by Marvin Baumeister (AUS/Flysurfer), Jannis Maus (DE/North) and Olly Bridge (GB/North). Maus overtook Baumeister at the 2nd mark by using a smart strategy and taking the inside. Bridge then managed to do the same right at the finish line bringing him to 3rd place behind Maus and a commited Gruber who gained some distance on the third tack and finished well ahead of the others, which gave him a well deserved 1st position. The german rider Emmanuel Norman (DE/Flysurfer) tangled with the young moroccan talent Elias Ouahmid (MOR/North), which meant he was unable to repeat his good score from yesterday and ended up in a 6th position followed by Norman. 



The B final was also full of excitement especially with Aaron Hadlow (GB/North) whilst riding a twin-tip winning over Rolf Van der Vlugt (NED/Airush) who was first after the second mark but then got confused and went too far downwind. Aaron took advantage of his mistake and managed to grab the lead.

The current overall results stand with Florian Gruber in 1st place, followed by Marvin Baumeister and Rolf Van der Vlugt. 

The women's B final was also packed with action. A massive and unfortunate tangle took place at the start line involving Rita Arnaus (ES/Best), Semira Bernnat (DE/Cabrinha), Jana Schader (DE/Cabrinha) and Sabrina Schlossnikel (DE/Ozone). Cosima Sommer (DE/Best), Sonja Bunte (DE/North) and Nina Schumacher (DE/Ozone) used this to their advantage and managed to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The B Final was just as exciting with Annelous Lammerts (NED/Slingshot) ending up in front of the top ranked girls Katja Roose (NED/Airush) and Steph Bridge (GB/North). Lammerts was competing on a  twin-tip and managed to go faster in the jibes thanks to the increasing winds. It was a tough fight for 2nd place but it eventually came to Roose, with Bridge coming in 3rd. The three women are currently holding those same positions in the overall slalom rankings. 


 
The continuation of the freestyle qualifiers for today was a battle between two generations; Anther Racca (MX/Airush) agaisnt Mike Blomvall (SE/Future). Blomvall has been competing for over 10 years already, and although he is no longer a regular on the tour, he still wanted to come here to compete at St. Peter Ording. Racca in contrast, is one of the youngest up and coming riders, who won the Youth Cup in Costa Brava this year in the Under 17 category. Experience proved vital to Blomvall, as he managed to pull off a good heat despite the gusty and light conditions. Unfortunately, Racca was unable to put his heat together well, so Blomvall advanced.

Also advancing directly to round 3 are Ariel Corniel (DR/Naish), Arne Bolts (DE/Flysurfer),Florian Gruber (DE/Ozone) and Mike Schitzhofer (AUS/Best). 


 
At 6pm, the heats were called off due to the declining winds. Tomorrow looks like it will offer up great conditions, so the rider's meeting has been called for 8am with the first possible start at 8.30am. We look forward to another extraordinary day of kiteboarding

Day 3:

As the third day of Pringles Kitesurf World Cup got underway, the riders prepared their larger kites and got ready for the start of the slalom discipline. The wind was blowing an estimated 14 knots and the sun was shining over the vast beach of St. Peter Ording.
 
The fastest racers entered the water for this first VKWC slalom event of the season. The racing conditions were optimal, and two full eliminations were completed for both the men and women. An outstanding performace was given by many riders, and currently for the overall ranking we have Rolf Van der Vlugt (NED/Airush), Marvin Baumeister (AUS/Flysurfer), Florian Gruber (DE/Ozone) and Elias Ouahmid (MOR/North) in the lead. The women were also on fire, and the current top rankings are Katja Roose (NED/Airush), Annelous Lammerts (NED/Slingshot), Bibiana Magaji (SVK/Core) and Marie Lou Fourre (VEN/Crazyfly). Stef Bridge (GB/North) won the first elimination but unfortunately could not participate in the second elimination as she had to assist one of her sons who had a minor hand cut. Let's see if she will be able to gain the lost ground on the upcoming eliminations. 



After a short break, the competition resumed with the start of the Freestyle Qualifiers. 45 men have to compete for one of the 8 places in the main event. The riders have to battle hard to earn their spot and get a chance to compete with the top riders in the world. The wind was complicating the heats as it was rising and dropping continously, meaning that various heats had to be abandoned and re-run, much to the rider's frustration.

Three heats were successfully completed, and winning to pass directly to round three were Sander Bos (NED/North), Val Garat (FR/Best) and Adeuri Corniel (DR). The beach was packed with spectators, lining up around the competiton area to enjoy the freestyle action on this beautiful German summer day.



The competitors remained on the beach until 7.30pm whilst waiting for the wind conditions to improve, but unfortunately it did not get strong enough to resume the elimination.

During the afternoon, the public were treated to a surprise appearance of boxing Heavy Weight Champion Wladimir Klitschko, who is an avid kitesurfer and came to show his support for this popular event. The crowds rushed around him to get a chance to meet and take a photo with the champ. He also came to meet our current kitesurf World Champion Christophe Tack (BE/Liquid Force). 



The forecast for tomorrow looks stronger in the morning so the rider's meeting has been called for 8am with a first possible start at 8.30am. We look forward to another supreme display of kitesurfing on the beautiful beaches of St. Peter Ording.

Day 1:

St. Peter Ording gives a warm welcome to the Virgin Kitesurf World Championships and the entire kitesurf community, as the biggest kiteboarding event of the year gets underway!

The sun was out and the weather was a pleasant 24 degrees for the inaugural day of thePringles Kitesurf World Cup. Rider registration took place yesterday from 2pm to 5pm, where top riders from all over the globe gathered together to sign up for the event. During this 5th event of the tour, we will have 125 riders participating from over 25 countries. 

For the first slalom competition of the 2015 season, top-ranked Julien Kerneur, Florian Gruber, and Oliver Bridge are here to offer up some of the most high octain racing action around. To add even more fuel to the fire, female front-runners Katja Roose, Bibiana Magaji, and Steph Bridge are also in attendance and plan to make a strong showing.

The Freestyle event will consist of 62 men and 23 women. We look forward to an exciting week watching the newest riders battle through the qualification process for a place in the main event. During the opening ceremony, the current top ranked riders, Liam Whaley (ES/Cabrinha) and Karolina Winkoska (PL/Slingshot) were given their competition lycra infront of the large audience - with a unique green colour to recognise the two tour leaders throughout their heats. 



The event site is expecting to receive up to 200,000 spectators over the duration of the 10 days. With a large exhibition of kite industry members, it's a chance for the the riders and the public to intermingle with all of their favourite brands. Today many of them offered autograph sessions with their top riders, a wonderful opportunity for people to meet and chat with their idols. 

The wind was unfortunately not strong enough on this first day to get started with the slalom elimination, but with a very promising forecast for tomorrow, the rider's meeting has been called for 8.30 am with a first possible start at 9.30am. Stay tuned to follow all the action from us here at St. Peter Ording

The 5th stop of the Virgin Kitesurf World Championships is approaching fast, so get ready to see the best kiteboarders from around the globe join forces in what has become theWorld's biggest kiteboarding event, the Kitesurf World Cup in St. Peter Ording, Germany, from 22nd to 30th of August 2015.

Watch the top riders come together and battle it out for a spot on the podium in both thefreestyle and slalom disciplines.
 
If you are wondering what you can expect during this mammoth event in the North Sea, let us fill you in! Apart from the 10 days of full kiteboarding action, you will also be able to participate in an array of different activities. At the Kitelife Village, you can find many brands who will be presenting their collections and offering equipment testing. Brands that will be represented include Mystic, Brunotti, F-one, North Kiteboarding, ION, Cabrinha, Best and many more.
 


There will be musical highlights offered throughout the night, as well as many other activities that include slack line, stand up paddle, beach volley and much more. The ten-day event will have great kitesurf action during the day, and endless parties during the night. The 10-year anniversary will be nothing short of spectacular! 

Be sure to tune in to all the action as we post live results on our Facebook and Twitter pages throughout the event. Who will make it to the podium during this time? Previous events have seen a true battle between the VKWC top riders; will Christophe Tack (BE/Liquid Force) manage to climb to the top of the ranking? Or will the young 17 year old BrazilianCarlos Mario (Slingshot) manage to take yet another win? Perhaps Liam Whaley (ES/Cabrinha) will be fully recovered from his injury and make his way back on to the podium. On the women's side, will Bruna Kajiya (BR/Airush) manage to take another victory away from Karolina Winkowska (PL/Slingshot) and Gisela Pulido (ES/Best)? Not forgettingPaula Novotna (CZ/North) and Annabel Van Westerop (AUA/Cabrinha) who are hot on their heels. This promises to be full of action and surprises!

St Peter Ording also gives us the opportunity to enjoy the first Slalom event of the season. These races are action packed and full of entertainment, so let's see if last year's winnersBryan Lake (US/Ozone) and Katja Roose (NL/Airush) will manage to get ahead of the pack and lead the way to the podium for this discipline. 

This stop will also host the Men's and Women's World Qualifiers Freestyle (WQF) for the second half of the 2015 season, which gives a chance for new competitors to fight hard for a spot in the main event.

The current top 14 men and 7 women below are already pre-qualified for the second half of the season and will be joined by top 7 men and 4 women from the WQF, as well as men's wildcards Marian Hund (North), Linus Erdmann (Slingshot), and Sabrina Lutz (North) on the women's side. Former top VKWC competitor and German star Mario Rodwald (Gaastra) will also join the event thanks to an Injury wildcard.
 


 

Komt wind aan!!

Bij de heren gaat t niet zo goed met de NL/BE riders, maar bij de dames gaan we iig een Nederlandse rider in de finale krijgen. Annelous Lammerts en Annabel van Westerop zijn beide goed bezig