First Stop on the KiteBoardPro World Tour

France - St Gilles Croix de Vie  28th April - 4th May 2008

My results

5th Freestyle

8th Overall

I travelled from Tarifa to St Gilles Croix de Vie by car with Soufiane Hamaini and Ania Grzelinska both from the North Team and both very experienced competition riders.  I had plenty of time to ask a mountain of questions and gain as many tips as possible in the 23 hour drive.

This competition was the first leg of the Kite board Pro World Tour which is celebrating its tenth year.  Held in St Gilles Croix de Vie, four hours north of Bordeaux on the west coast of France, it was a great road trip from southern Spain.  We left at 5am and arrived many miles later the next day at 3.30am.

After a few hours sleep we were greeted by beautiful blue skies and the right wind for my 9 m.  So this was it - the day before the competition, the time when the riders arrive from all corners of the world and get on the water to test the conditions.

The tour seemed very international with riders coming from far and wide, Australia, Hawaii, Cabarete, Cape Verde and many other exotic and warm places as well as some chillier ones.  The boys from the Dominican Republic ventured out without wetsuits as there was a bit of sun, and left all other riders shivering in our 5mm suits.  Not good as a starter !  They were certainly in for a shock the following day.

After Testing the wind and water, I felt fairly happy with how I was sailing.  It was my first competition as I only started in Jan 07, I felt very inexperienced amongst the other 49 riders.  However there is a fantastic attitude and outlook coming from everyone who is always more than happy to share their past experiences and advice.  This came through more than ever with the girls, and I felt warmly welcomed into the group of competitors.

The alarm was set for 6.00 am so we could have breakfast and be ready for the skippers meeting at 7 am.  The wind was forecasted for 3 days, and on the KPWT tour there are many disciplines to get thgough.  Freestyle, Waves, Racing, and Big Air.

Walking out of the hotel we were hit by 30 knots of freezing cold onshore wind, and rain.  I had to resist not to run back into the hotel and dive into bed.  During the meeting we were explained the rules and general running of the competition.  There would be a draw of the heats and we would get started with the girls asap. The first heat was to start at 8.15am ; thankfully I was in the second heat - 15 minutes later.  The wind looked fairly stable, but then dropped very quickly so in my heat all the riders were left underpowered and struggling to stay in the competition area - so very frustrating.

I went through with fairly simple, but solid moves.  The water conditions were very difficult.  The onshore wind brought waves but not in any organised form, making it a bit tricky to time my moves.  The wind picked up for the next rounds leaving me with more power to do my moves.  My confidence built gradually through the heats and I was happy with my performance, but crashed a Kite Loop right at the end of my heat - Shame.

I made it through the first two rounds and then in the quarter finals got knocked out by Marine Sudre from Australia, but I loved every minute of the week and can´t wait for the next competition.

For photos, videos and information for up and coming events check out the KPWT official website - www.kiteboardpro.com