Dag 1-2 Tarifa Pro Kite Tour 2014
De Tarifa Pro Kite Tour 2014 is alweer twee dagen onderweg. Met 15 – 20 knopen was op dag één genoeg wind voor de riders om een indrukwekkend niveau te laten zien. Er was op dag één veel talent aanwezig met potentie tot toekomstige wereldkampioenen! Dag twee stond in het teken van Big Air; riders sprongen tot een hoogte van 8 meter. PKRA deelde de verslagen van de eerste twee dagen met ons. Deze willen wij jullie niet onthouden.
Stay tuned op onze website voor het vervolg van de PKRA – Tarifa Pro Kite Tour 2014.
Day 1 – Gomez and Castro Win the Spanish Wildcards
Aug-30-2014
The first day of the Tarifa Pro Kite Tour 2014 got underway today, beginning with the Spanish trials for the two remaining wild cards. With nine men and two women competing, it was Maxi Gomez and Julia Castro winning in their respective divisions to put them straight into the main event.
The day started out looking as if it was going to be a typical thermal day of west wind. As the sun warmed the land, the wind began to increase and it seemed that by the afternoon, the competition would get underway. Following lunch, a surprise shift in the wind occurred and soon began to fill into the competition area from the easterly direction.
At 3:30 the red flag went up, and the first of five heats of the Spanish wildcard trials hit the water in 15-20 knots of wind. Showing an impressive level of riding from all the competitors, it was clear that the talent pool in Spain is clearly capable of producing even more future world champions.
The wildcards have now been decided and the trials for the remaining spots in the main event are next up for the freestyle discipline. Interestingly, this is the second event of the 2014 PKRA tour season where there will be trials run for the women’s discipline.
With only an hour of competition throughout the day, there was plenty of time for riders to chill out at the event village, go for a kite, or just hang out and enjoy the day at the beach. Many riders chose to soak in the sun or simply take in the spectacle of a windy afternoon on the beach in Tarifa.
Catching up with current world champion Gisela Pulido about having a tour stop in her back yard, she commented “I think it’s a good advantage because I train here every day. It doesn’t matter what conditions we will have, I will know them, but sometimes, since it’s your home spot, people are going to pay a lot of attention to you, so there’s going to be some pressure. I will try to handle it and use it to do well, but I’m just really happy to have the PKRA back in Tarifa”
Tomorrow’s riders meeting is scheduled for 3:30 pm to allow for riders and kite enthusiasts to participate in the Virgin Kitesurfing Armada Spain at 2:00 pm, which is intended to set the world record for the ‘largest parade of kitesurfers’ to increase awareness of the sport and raise money for charity.
With so much action to be had throughout the coming days, the Tarifa Pro Kite Tour 2014 is going to be one to watch. The forecast is expecting moderate east winds building throughout the day. Depending on the wind strength, race director Erik Troostheide will make the call whether to begin the main event trials, or the Big Air discipline.
Day 2 – Big Air Gets Underway
Aug-31-2014
Competition from day two of the Tarifa Pro Kite Surf 2014 officially kicked off this afternoon with the crowd-pleasing Big Air discipline. In winds that averaged 20-27 knots. One round of the men’s division was completed before faltering winds forced the event to be postponed for the day.
Due to winds expected to last throughout the day, the competition was scheduled to begin later in the afternoon to accommodate the Virgin Kitesurfing Armada Spain, as many spectators and competitors had registered to participate. In a critical mass, 352 kitesurfers completed the one-mile course, surpassing the former number of 318 and setting a new world record in a momentous accomplishment celebrated by all.
At 4:30 the first heat of the Big Air competition hit the water. As the second discipline, Big Air is an exciting component of the event that showcases the most spectacular side of the sport of kiteboarding with big jumps, lofty hang time, and an irrevocable wow factor that easily captivates any audience.
With the wind proving to be strongest in the early heats, riders achieved jumps of up to eight meters high, creating immediate roars from the enthusiastic crowds. As the heats continued into the afternoon, the wind began to back-off and the height of the jumps began to as well, with jumps of 4 to 5 meters being the maximum that the fading wind would allow. With the intent of waiting for better conditions in the coming days, it was decided to postpone the competition and call it a day.
The action saw a combination of old-school and new-school tricks, which included multiple spins, big aerial handle passes, board offs, and monster kite loops. With the judging criteria consisting of 70% height and 30% technical difficulty, the strategy was definitely to go big at all costs.
Noteworthy performances came from Maxi Gomez (ES) who adapted his freestyle repertoire with exaggerated height and creative executions, including a big one-footer in his wakeboard boots. Eudasio Da Silva (BR) consistently went huge with his fearless Brazilian style and former world champion Aaron Hadlow (UK) showed off some big jumps and stylish kite loops as well. Airstyle aficionado Toby Braeuer (DE) put on a great show and was clearly a crowd favorite, landing inverted multiple spins with board flips and varials, garnering the loudest cheers of the day.
Strong winds are expected for tomorrow and hopes are high to finish the freestyle trials and continue on with the Big Air or begin the freestyle main event. The live broadcast will begin with the start of the freestyle main event. Riders will meet at 9:30 am with a first possible start at 10 am. As always, stay tuned to the PKRA Facebook page and Twitter feed for start times, updates and all the latest from the Tarifa Pro Kite Tour 2014.