18 and 19 September saw the GWA national event taking place in Saint Pierre la Mer in the South of France. Taking place at the same time as the GKA Junior World Cup event, the two events saw a total of 48 competitors. Read more about the competition and winners.
The sun was out bright and early on the last day here at Mondial du Vent, bright and early this morning, lighting the way to the playground for the final time. It's a beautiful clear morning here, with a cold 20kts Tramontana chill blowing through the air. The women’s Surf-Freestyle heats were up first.
We had a sopping wet morning here in Leucate, with a thrilling 8 degrees Celsius, the perfect temperature to chill the riders nerves before their heats. But the rain certainly didn’t dampen the mood as finally…THE WIND ARRIVED! Competitors made their way to the beach nice and early, croissants in mouths and suited up in an extra layer or two to the 8am skippers meeting held at the shore.
Today we had our first sunny start here in Leucate! The substantial breeze blew hope through the air during the morning skippers meeting. Aiming to speed up the tempo of the event, judges planned to kick off with the Surf-Racing discipline. Riders were told to remain alert for the calls, as the GWA Wingfoil World Tour race director Dani Jimenez and GWA head judge Mallory de la Villemarqué headed to the beach to plan the race course of the day.
We had a bit of a rainy start to day 2 here in Leucate at Mondial du Vent. The wind is taking its time to wake up, but the riders were engaged from the get-go, taking advantage of this time to propose their suggestions on the judging criteria, ensuring everyone is on the same page before they hit the water.
After a nervous time on hold due to travel restrictions the GWA Wingfoil World Tour is stoked to arrive here at Mondial du Vent in Leucate, to kick off the first event of the 2021 season! Riders have arrived from all around the world and lift those spirits high to show what Wingfoiling is all about.