PKRA - Leucate - Frankrijk

Nu aan't wachten op m'n vlucht om naar Leucate te gaan! Wordt top!

Check m'n kort verhaaltje van PKRA Dakhla op http://ostendlocal.blogspot.com/
Aangezien het internet wel zal bestaan in France zal ik m'n blog zoveel mogelijk updaten!

Aflandig koud beukertje op het menu voor zondag, top! Zet mijn geld op een goeie livestream!

de doubles finale van vorig jaar: YOURI ZOON - ALEX PASTOR

hoop NL-ers die meedoen volgens mij, Youri en Kevin zo ie zo. Tijn en Annie zijn ook vertrokken die kant op, Johnno Scholte ook en wie nog meer?

ik weet wel wie die gaat winnen!!

Deze is voor Sloerie, hoe dan ook!

Hoppaaa, registratie is voorbij. Morgen gaan we van start met de trials. Iedereen van de lage landen moet eraan meedoen behalve Youri en Christophe.
Wind ziet er tegen het einde van de middag goed uit, dus hopelijk nog wat heats!

meer morgen

zullen harde trials worden!!!

Liam Whaley vs Ewan Jaspan: rookies for the podium!

Representing numerous countries and regions around the world, 42 men and 8 women riders have arrived in Leucate, ready to take their skills to the water in one of the most frequented PKRA stops in the tour’s history. Today, as the buzz grew along the main boardwalk at the event site in Leucate, event vendors, tourists, onlookers, and kiteboarding enthusiasts watched as the best riders in the world introduced themselves to the conditions of the area, familiarizing themselves with the strong wind and slight chop.



For the Mondial Du Vent event in Leucate, major money prizes are ripe for the taking, with $37,000 in cash ready to be handed out to the most capable of riders. After the first tour stop in Dakhla, Morocco – with Youri Zoon and Bruna Kajiya earning first place wins - many competitors are determined to shake things up, battling for podium placements at this second stop of the 2012 PKRA world tour. Notably, the women’s heats will be adjusted to differ slightly from the men’s in order to account for the difference in average tricks completed in a heat (as witnessed in Dakhla and voted on by the female riders). As such, the women will be allowed nine trick attempts in a heat, with their five best maneuvers counting towards each final score.

Today, registration brought many locals and interested participants who signed up to compete in trials, which will commence tomorrow on the first official day of the event. For this part of the competition, 32 male riders will take part in the trials, with 14 earning the right to compete in the double eliminations, which are scheduled for day three. Riders such as Eudazio Da Silva and Manuela Jungo, who made major impressions in Dakhla, will be competing in the Mondial Du Vent event as well, and remain more motivated than ever to continue their amazing riding and incredible performances.



At this competition, the implementation of the new judging guidelines will continue. For many competitors, adapting to this system for the first time in Dakhla was an eye-opening learning experience, one which will greatly enhance riding strategies for this week’s event. In fact, many riders now have a better idea of what tricks will provide the best showcase of their talents and skills to earn the most points possible. Top riders such as Gisela Pulido and Kevin Langeree, who suffered surprising losses in Dakhla, now retain the knowledge and experience of the new system, which they will surely apply to their heats in the approaching competition.


In the coming days, the Mondial Du Vent event is expected to attract hundreds of onlookers, excited to witness the remarkable action played out on the cool Mediterranean waters. To stay updated on the latest happenings at the second PKRA tour stop in Leucate, visit the tour’s Facebook and/or Twitter feed for announcements and information.

Leuke blog update van Karolina Winkowska: http://karolinawinkowska.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/france/

Alle Dutchies door, Ian?

Yoyo,
nee helaas niet alle dutchies door.
Tijn verloor z'n laatste heat tegen Ewan Jaspan..
Voor de rest, Johnno door.
Kevin wildcard
Tack en Youri al geplaatst bij de top 8

Doet Annie ook mee?

Livestream gaat aan straks bij de wedstrijd!
Zal normaal via de livestream link van pkra zijn, maar heel misschien komt het ook op de website van het event
http://www.mondial-du-vent.com/

Feest?

wehehehe wind 25 till 40 knots....

Live view werkt, en ziet er goed uit

johnno door naar de volgende ronde!
nu is tack aan de beurt!
even break en dan actie!
kevin zijn heat moet nog eens gecheckt worden!

Gewijzigd door: ostendlocal - 8 april, 2012 (11:24)  [22.79%]

kevin ook door!!

Ik zit de live stream te volgen. Helemaal super . Begrijp nu wel dat nietkitesurfers er geen zak aan vinden.......
Je hoort de verslaggevers zelf al ( als het een keertje wat hoger gaat ) enthousiast reageren....

Gewijzigd door: idefixe - 8 april, 2012 (12:29)  [37.38%]

Kevin eruit in de singles, door kitewissel?

Youri er ook uit tegen Liam Whaley

En youri eruit!

Ongelovelijke performance van Little Liam! Wat een held!

5000 kijkers op de livestream alleen al het laatste uurtje..Al mag het van mij meer NK 2009-style, KITELOOOOOPPP!

en 2 cams, 1 zoom en 1 breedbeeld

en een beetje sneller die uitslagen doorgeven in de ladder, dames ladder kan ik niet eens vinden

Hmmm, wat denk je van het aantal kijkers met beelden van wat meer oldschool onder dezelfde omstandigheden.....
Maar is en blijft helemaal top deze lifestream. Zwaar kut dat Youri eruit ligt.......

Kevin ligt er idd uit door kitewissel. De helft van zijn heat stond hij op het strand terwijl Rondina rustig wat tricks zat te doen.

Wat een mooie verrassingen.
Youri, Kevin, Johnno & tack er allemaal vroeg uit.
En kleine Liam die gewoon overal clean doorheen rockt

de wind is echt vaag, momenteel is het al een stuk beter. hopelijk is de wind betervoor de dubbels!

Wanneer zijn de dubbels? Want voor de rest van de week is er niet ech wind.

Yoyo, net in m'n hotel toegekomen. Wat een lange en leuke dag. Wind was in het eerste deel van de singles echt te vaag. Ene keer super hard en gusty, even erna iets minder enz enz. Moeilijk voor de riders dus!
Pastor was on fire, niet normaal hoe die gast ook in zulke condities vaart! Morgen normaal geen wind, dus overmorgen of de dag erna dubbels so stay tuned!
Jammer voor onze dutchies. Kevin had een hele close heat, Youri vaarde gewoon slecht en Tack zat er ook dicht bij.
Johnno verloor tegen Alex Soto, welke een goeie heat had.

Toch landde Youri in het begin van de heat eigenlijk alles goed. Ik had wel verwacht dat die
door zou gaan. Maarja die Liam Whaley doet het niet slecht voor een 15 jarige.

godverdommedekut!!
waarom youri en kevin er uit...
hopen dat er doubles komen, kunnen ze nog 1e en 2e worden

Yo Okke, dat ze 1e en 2de zouden moeten worden zal niet lukken, als ze al hun heats winnen zullen uiteindelijk tegen elkaar uitkomen voor de 5de en 6de plek

Day 2 - Completed Single Eliminations

Apr-08-2012


Day two of the second PKRA tour stop in Leucate, France, brought about expectedly strong winds. With an early meeting and starting time of 11am, riders were out and on the water as soon as the wind allowed it. The strong offshore winds gusted up to 45 knots with an average of 25 knots in the morning, which at times rattled the glass walls of the judging tower and sprayed sand in the faces of awe-struck spectators. Amazingly, the French onlookers seemed not to be fazed by such conditions at a chilling 15 degrees, showing up in droves to witness the spectacular sights that carried on throughout the day.



Today also marked the first time this year that the live webcast aired from a PKRA event. Dave Tyburski and Regis Mortier (aka – Rage) took to the mike, detailing the action of each heat, which drew over 7,000 viewers in its first day. A close heat between former world champion Kevin Langeree and Alberto Rondina attracted over 500 online viewers, while Jacobs and Madson warranted 450 hits. For the first time ever, the live broadcasting system was able to report on the new scoring system implemented for 2012, with point-by-point coverage. While these live scores were not shown online today, they will be available for the next freestyle event in Holland and for the rest of the year to view in real time. This is thanks to industry partners Epikoo and Mystic.



The single eliminations provided very tough conditions for most riders who entered on the water. Using five to seven meter kites, competitors were fully powered, bravely facing incredible gusts and at times, barely holding on. This brought about many remarkable crashes and incredible jump attempts by various riders. In the heat between current World Champion Youri Zoon and the youngest rider on tour, Liam Whaley, each rider boosted huge air, with failures to stick landings on multiple occasions. Zoon and Whaley brought some big back mobes and 313s to the table, while the underdog - Whaley - performed exceptionally well, earning a 6.3 for a Front Blind. Ending in the biggest upset of the day, Whaley beat Zoon in a 2.63 difference in scores. In his heat that followed against local favorite, Sebastian Garat, Whaley performed just as impressively, exhibiting astonishing consistency, coming out on top with the winning position and earning the respect and adoration of everyone on the beach. He later lost to Alberto Rondina but won again in a battle against Carlos Madson, stepping up to the PKRA podium for his first time ever. Looking back on his match-ups, Whaley attributed his wins to an increased level of confidence throughout the day.



Another interesting heat occurred between the two Brazilians, Eudazio Da Silva and Ariel Corniel, with Corniel advancing on a score of only 14.7 total points. This heat brought the most crashes with the most difficult wind. With such strong gusts, kite loops represented one of the most common maneuvers of the day - riders sending their kites as high as they could go. For Alex Pastor, even though his first heat was not his best, he said he was amped after hitting several technical moves in the tough conditions. Pastor executed some nearly perfect Mobe 5s and a textbook Blind Judge 3, earning the highest score of the day at 48.9 in heat 16.



The women’s heats provided no lack of action once the afternoon arrived. Interestingly, the champion of the Dakhla Kiteboarding World Cup, Bruna Kajiya, switched from boots to straps for her first heat on the water against Jungo, and while she suffered some trouble with this transition and the gusty wind, Kajiya came out victorious, moving onto the next round and switching back to boots for her remaining heats. Gisela Pulido also stepped up her game after a surprising loss in Dakhla, performing powered tricks such as a Slim Chance and Front Blind, later commenting that she was happy to have the support of her family at the competition and is excited for the remainder of the event as she hopes to stay in the lead.

Karolina Winkowska earned the highest trick of the day for the women with a 6.5 S-Bend to blind. This was the first time that the women competed with the 9 total trick attempts, a format which clearly worked well compared to the previous 12 total trick attempts allowed in Dakhla. Without a doubt, this day brought high intensity with incredibly close heats and hard fought battles. The final results of today’s single eliminations are as follows:

Men's Singles:

1. Alex Pastor from Spain (Airush)

2. Alberto Rondina from Italy (Cabrinha)

3. Liam Whaley from Spain (Cabrinha)

4. Carlos Madson from Brazil (Nobile)



Women's Singles:

1. Gisela Pulido from Spain (Best)

2. Bruna Kajiya from Brazil (Airush)

3. Karolina Winkowska from Poland (Slingshot)

4. Asia Litwin from Poland (Airush)

@ostendlocal
thx voor de updates!
dus als ik het goed begrijp kunnen ze nog wel 6e en 1e worden?

Als ik me niet vergis 7de en 1ste kunnen ze worden, aangezien ze elkaar treffen in de 4de ronde

Day 3 – Double Eliminations Begin

Apr-09-2012
The day started early for those competing in the double eliminations in the third official day of competition. Beggining at 9:30, with much milder conditions compared to the day before, riders entered the water on 12 to 14 meter kites in 13 to 18 knots of wind. Luis Alberto Cruz and Johnno Sholte took part in a smooth heat early on, executing some high-scoring Raleys and Fronts Mobes. Cruz won with a more powered approach, while Sholte generally flew his kite high by comparison.



Former World Champion Kevin Langeree and Stefan Speissberger also took part in a close, nearly completed heat, with some well done Front Blind Mobes and KGBs. On this sixth heat of the day, bigger kites were used to account for the lighter wind. Unlike the previous day, competitors really had to fly their kites to gain necessary speed and height. 400 online spectators tuned in to see the heat featuring current World Champion Youri Zoon and Robinson Hilario. In fact, Hilario surprised many by riding without a wetsuit in the frigid Mediterranean waters. After yesterday’s upset with Liam Whaley advancing past Zoon, today looked to be a long day for the World Champion, as he began his fight up through the double eliminations – a much further climb than he is accustomed to. In response to his disappointing past day, Zoon quipped, “Normally, strong and gusty conditions are really my strong point, but I just didn’t get it together. I was trying to go big instead of riding safe, but in those conditions, the crashes are much harder. A 10-heat climb will be a lot of work!” Unfortunately, Zoon’s first heat of the day was canceled near its end due to light winds, and while Youri did score some big points in his first attempts on the water, this heat represented the last, and incomplete heat of day three. Competition will therefore commence tomorrow, or until conditions permit.



Feedback from the live webcast came through loud and clear from the day prior, with incredibly positive responses and encouraging reactions. Commentator Dave Tyburski stated that, “It was great to get such positive and constructive initial feedback”. He also commented that he “looks forward to fine-tuning the broadcast with the PKRA and event media crews to provide the most engaging online viewer experience possible”. Amazingly, the live feed reached over 14,000 individuals by the morning in its only second day on air. Local personality Regis Mortier also added greatly to the live webcast experience. When asked what we can look forward to in the live feeds to come, Tyburski revealed that live time scoring and greater social media interaction will the viewer be a major part of the webcasts at future PKRA world tour stops.



As for the women, Karolina Winkowska commented on the new 9 versus 12 trick attempts and the prior day’s competition, saying that it was an especially fun and exciting day, due to the strong and gusty conditions. Winkowska commented that she wouldn’t normally go out in such circumstances, which made it interesting. Looking back on her heats under the new guidelines thus far, Winkowska explained that it can be difficult to decide whether to try a trick for a second time in order to gain a better score, or move onto a new trick category. This is simply another example of the learning and progression that is taking place within the new scoring guidelines.

Tomorrow, the wind forecast is looking light; however, the race director will make the next announcement at 10am, with a first possible start at 10:30am. The PKRA would like to thank its local sponsors and partners including the City of Leucate, Orange, Mystic, Orangina, and Ride Sessions who help make this amazing and long-standing event possible. In the coming days, interested individuals can follow PKRA happenings through Twitter, Facebook, and the live webcast (http://live.prokitetour.com/).

Also, click here to view the men's single elimination results: LEUCATE MEN'S SINGLES RESULTS

Today's heat ladder is pictured below.




CHECK OOK DE DAILY PICTURES BOVENAAN DIT TOPIC

Wind houdt niet over vandaag aan de grote van de kites te zien

wind is niet aan.. gaat straks nog regenen.. nuja, rustdagje!

Youri rondje verder. Prima te volgen nu. Is dit leif?

Tack verloren van Blanc?

is live!
tack had problemen met zijn kite tijdens de laatste 3 min van de heat. jammer, maar kan gebeuren. kevin en youri zijn door!

Nice! Kevin wint van Soto!

kevin won tegen soto inderdaad. nu nog even wachten op youri zijn uitslag tegen jacobs

Zoon heel close door tegen Marc Jacobs

youri won tegen marc!

Pfoeh, dat was close. Wel een goede heat van beide heren!

kevin en youri moeten in hun volgende heat tegen elkaar

waarom staat de camera op http://live.prokitetour.com/# steeds naar het stand gericht.

Als ie op t strand gericht staat zijn er geen heats. Alleen geouwehoer.

youri en kevin nu

wie won ?

Youri, met de hoogste score van de dag als ik het goed verstond.

youri door, straks tegen garat

Ik kan het geluid niet aanzetten, dan krijg ik problemen op mn werk

hele dikke heat youri eindigde met een backmobe 7 volgens mij

heat is on youri tegen garat
erg weinig wind dus hopen dat de heat uitgevaren kan worden.

heat is cancelled

is wel echt aan en uit die wind.

kevin had ook een lekkere heat.was leuk om tezien. youri eindigde met een double hintenbergermobe, wat een double backroll pass is

Zijn de heats ook terug te zien? Kan ze nergens vinden.

heat is opnieuw gestart

Zo te zien is Leucate op dit moment the place to be om te trainen met NK omstandigheden..

Ik zie steeds hele andere mensen kiten dan in dat schermpje daarnaast of ligt dat aan mij ?>

youri wint en gaat door tegen carlos madson

heat Youri en Madson in begonnen

go Youri!!

einde heat word een close call

youri gewonnen tegen braziliaan Madson

Youri moet weer tegen liam waley

karolina ging HARDyouri won net tegen whaley

youri wint tegen liam

Hoppa Youri!

Nog 3 heats te winnen voor Youri ;)

heat van youri en rondina is gestart

http://live.prokitetour.com/?id_comp=134#

Hij lijkt wel wat moe...
Volgens de commentator stond Youri bij de bel nog flink achter, dus 3e.

Gewijzigd door: Denis - 11 april, 2012 (14:24)  [58.76%]

Beide riders stonden zwaar gepowered Youri zelfs overpowered helaas voor youri wint Rondina


Gewijzigd door: kor - 11 april, 2012 (14:26)  [1.08%]

Knappe inhaalrace en in ieder geval wel een podiumplek

Pff Overpowered vooral die chicks liepen te stuiteren haha

Gaat er nog wat gebeuren op de live stream of is het klaar voor vandaag?

Morgen 11:00 eerste skippersmeeting stond er net op.

Buttcheck's u know! Was mooi om te zien, Youri ging hard. Good job!

Tweets: Alex Pastor and Gisella Pulido - the 1st place winners at the Mondial Du Vent event in France! Congratulations!!

Also a congratulations to second place competitors Alberto Rondina and Karolina Winkowska - as well as Youri Zoon and Bruna Kajiya in third!

Morgen Big airs contest

Big airs contest ... Cool
Weer heel de dag kijken dus

En dat noemen ze werken ;-)

Toch knap teruggeknokt, moest behoorlijk wat heats varen om daar weer te komen.