Volgende week is de opening van het WK tour seizoen, de GKA begint de (strapless)wave tour van 2018 op Sal. De WKL met hun freestyle tour begint waarschijnlijk pas in april.
The GKA Kite-Surf World Tour kicks off the first of its 2018 series of wave and strapless freestyle events in less than two weeks time at the infamous Ponta Preta in Sal, Cape Verde. It’s the first time the Global Kite-Sports Association tour has held an event in Cape Verde and it’s set to be an incredible start to the tour where the strong contingent of Cape Verdean tour riders will get the opportunity to compete at their home spot. We will also see the women kicking-off their event season at round one, too!
The men's champions of the last two years, Matchu Lopes and Airton Cozzolino, both grew up kiting Ponta Preta so they know it like the back of their hand and so too does Mitu Monteiro, one of the true icons of wave riding and another local hero who launched his career on this hallowed right-hander. You can be sure that they’ll put on an unreal show but there’s no guarantee that the Cape Verdean riders will clean up at the event as Keahi de Aboitiz, the current world number three, is also a regular footer, so you can bet he’ll be charging hard when the point lights up.
Strapless freestyle is also set to feature through the contest window in Cape Verde, so it’s going to be a real opportunity for riders to show how well-rounded they are on a surfboard. This is only the first stop on what’s sure to be an incredible 2018 tour and the riders will be back in action in April when the GKA tour rolls into Dakhla for stop two, before they visit another spot for the first time, Viana do Costello in Portugal, for the third event.
SAL / CAPE VERDE 2018 17 – 25th February
DAKHLA / MOROCCO 2018 24 – 29th April
VIANA DO COSTELLO / PORTUGAL 2018 05 – 10th June
TARIFA / SPAIN 2018 27th June – 1st July
SOTAVENTO / SPAIN 2018 20 – 25th July
LE MORNE / MAURITIUS 2018 6 – 16th September (TBC)