Rain, wind and an unforgettable adventure

Gusts of around 25 knotscame towards us head-on, and this after we had already paddled more than 30 kilometres. I was shivering with cold and a painful cramp in my thigh was trying to gain the upper hand. "Breathe in and out deeply," I told myself. "Relax the muscle." Not so easy. The rain had completely drenched me and I had overestimated the temperature. The fact that I had been fighting a cold the week before didn't make it any better. My throat and limbs were still aching.

It was only the first stage of the SUP 11 City Tour, a long-distance race in the Netherlands that follows the route of the famous ice skating race, the Elfstedentocht. Like the ice skating tour, the SUP 11 City Tour crosses the 11 historic Frisian cities on a course of 220 kilometres.

Sloten, a town founded in 1426with less than 1000 inhabitants, is the smallest on the tour. Normally. But this year everything was different. On Wednesday, the actual first day of the long-distance race, hurricane-like storms left the organisers with no choice but to cancel the stage. In order to get back on the planned route, the more than 100 participants therefore had to paddle directly from the starting point in Leeuwarden to Workum the next day, where stage 3 normally begins. For the paddlers, this meant covering 50 kilometres and crossing a number of lakes in strong headwinds. Unfortunately, this also meant that the 2nd stage was cancelled, which has a very special charm due to its tree-lined avenue-like canals.

Before the obligatory 15-minute break I was feeling pretty good at lunchtime. I was in 3rd position in the women's race with a seemingly safe lead. The first two, Lena Ribeiro and Petronella van Malsen, had paddled much faster than me from the start and were no longer in sight. While I was battling with the wind and the cold, Marta Abrunedo, who I thought was far behind me, had caught up. She overtook me just before the lakes and paddled away as if there was no wind. Impressive. I had the feeling I was going to come to a standstill. Doubts began to spread. Would I even make it to the finish?

Some things have not gone well this yearn. I had big goals for the season after finishing 3rd in the 11 City Tour last year. Then came the shock in February. I had rapidly growing cell structures in my lower abdomen, which were fortunately benign. An operation was necessary and initially I recovered well. After four days in hospital, I was already back home.

But suddenly I experienced almost unbearable pain. My ureter had been damaged during the operation. According to the doctors, this is a very rare complication, which perhaps explains why it took more than two weeks for them to recognise the problem and start the right treatment. In the meantime, I was back in hospital. It took almost three months of several operations, repeated high fevers and infections before I was finally halfway back to health.

When I was finally allowed to paddle againI thought the season was over for me. I felt so weak and had lost so much muscle mass that I was only able to paddle four kilometres before I was so exhausted that I had to take a nap. The doctors said that I would probably have to have another operation in the summer, which didn't exactly cheer me up.

But as soon as I received medical authorisationI started training again. There are few things that make me as happy and content as paddling and I had missed being on the water so much. At the beginning of June, I finally had some good news: Everything had healed so well that no further surgery would be necessary. I celebrated the news with a 15 kilometre paddle. Suddenly I had energy again. And my strength also returned surprisingly quickly.

Admittedly, it was a crazy idea, but I decided to paddle the Molokai2Oahu race in Hawaii. My time from the previous year had secured me a starting place and the race is simply the most beautiful and greatest for me. I was overjoyed to be back on the ocean, training with friends and feeling the energy of the wind and waves. I was getting fitter and thought that if I could cross the Kaiwi Channel, then maybe the SUP 11 City Tour was also possible.

One eveningI had been skyping with my partner Stefan, who had to stay in Switzerland. I saw my new Aqua Inc Super Sonic Extreme, a very fast, narrow raceboard, behind him on the balcony. "What's my board doing there?" I asked him. "I'm just lowering the deck a bit," he said. He showed me the board. I almost fell over in shock. Stefan had cut the board open and the foam inside was visible. "What on earth...?" "Don't worry, it'll be fine." Stefan is constantly coming up with ideas on how to make something that is already very good even better. He built his first kayak at the age of 14. Since then, his passion for sleek boats and boards has never left him.

When I came back from Hawaii, I realised that my initial concerns were unfounded. The deeper deck was really good and I liked my Aqua Inc Super Sonic Extreme even better. I had already paddled an Aqua Inc. Super Sonic on the 11 City Tour in 2016 and was impressed by how fast and nice the board ran. It goes without saying that I also competed with a Super Sonic again in 2017.

The decision was rightbecause the board ran great, even in the rough conditions on the first day of the tour. And despite my doubts and difficulties, I managed to cross the lakes. I reached the finish in Workum after more than 7 hours. Frozen, tired and yet satisfied and happy. I had crossed the finish line in fourth place and with my relatively slow time, it would be difficult to achieve a place on the podium in the overall standings at the end of the tour. Nevertheless, I was inspired and motivated by the performances of the paddlers who had finished before or after me. After all, it meant that they had battled the elements even longer than I had. Many had achieved great things and overcome difficult obstacles. Of course, this was especially true for the paddle rock stars who had completed parts or all of the 11 City Tour in one go non-stop and for the many volunteers and organisers who worked tirelessly to make the tour run as smoothly as possible despite the harsh weather conditions.

The next day started much better. The thick cloud cover had lifted and rays of sunshine even came through from time to time. I felt stronger and my cold had improved considerably despite the exertion of the previous day. After around 30 kilometres, we left the picturesque town of Harlingen with its typical flat-bottomed sailing boats and historic warehouses, reminders of the town's past as a trading hub. The route turned sharply to the right into a wide industrial canal that connects the harbour of Harlingen with the towns of Franeker and Leeuwarden.

In the past two yearsIn 2013 and 2016, when I cycled the 11 City Tour, the industrial canal was my least favourite part of the route. Compared to the tranquil little canals that meander through pastures and small villages, around tight bends and under low bridges, the industrial canal with its loading stations and container ships was pretty dull. But this time I was thrilled. The still quite strong wind, which was now coming from behind, created small waves on the water. I played with the structure of the water and was really pleased with how well the board performed in the mini downwinder. I was having so much fun that I almost forgot I was racing. I finished in 3rd position behind Lena Ribeiro and Petronella van Malsen. Happy and tired.

On the third day I woke up nervous and excited at the same time. I knew that it was all down to my performance if I wanted to have any chance of finishing in the top three in the women's overall standings. Of course, experience counts first and foremost and riding the entire 11 City Tour is an achievement in itself, but the competitor in me wanted to see if I could still make it onto the podium. I had finished 3rd in both 2013 and 2016 and hoped that I could build on those successes.

My equipment was perfect. The Aqua Inc. Super Sonic Extreme had been developed jointly by my partner Stefan Munsch, Alexander Mettes from Aqua Inc. and myself, so that it was suitable for my weight and ran well in flat water. It had already proven its advantages in a few races in Switzerland and I knew that I could ride at a good pace with the board.

The starting signal sounded and the group of 18 women paddled towards a narrow bridge. I was in the middle and suddenly found myself on a collision course with a bridge pillar with no room to manoeuvre. I had to stop to avoid crashing into the pillar. The right-hand passage, which was still passable the day before, was now blocked by washed-up branches and roots. By the time I had got round the obstacle, the first eight women had easily passed me. The next few kilometres became a race to catch up. This was actually nothing new. In the past two days, my starts hadn't exactly gone well either and I had to approach the field from behind. I paddled as fast as I could and reached the second group after a few kilometres.

In endurance raceslike the 11 City Tour, wave riding plays a major role. Letting yourself be pulled by the rear wave of the rider in front saves an enormous amount of energy, which can be decisive in the final sprint. This is why whole trains of wave riders form, the so-called draft trains. I joined the draft train for a while, but it was too slow for me. I paddled to the front of the train to set the pace. Marta Abrunedo followed me and together we paddled the next few kilometres pretty quickly.

We soon approached one of the most feared places of the tour: the weir that has to be bypassed. While running with the board is not a problem in itself, several boards have already suffered injuries on the metre-high concrete wall. I knew I had to step on the gas here if I wanted to be among the top three in the day's classification. I ran across the grass and managed to get my board back into the water without any dents or scratches.

I was now paddling alone in 3rd position and was more than surprised to suddenly see the first two in the women's classification only 100 metres ahead of me. I had no idea that I had caught up so much, as the head-high reeds on the winding canal had blocked my view. I wanted to join the wave train, but Lena and Petronella always managed to paddle away when I thought I might hit the wake. At the prescribed 15-minute stop, they were 45 seconds ahead of me.

After a quick refreshment with a bar and vegetarian vegetable broth, I waited for the signal to continue. 3-2-1 and on I went. As I approached the next bridge, my partner Stefan Munsch and Alexander Mettes from Aqua Inc, who has been supporting me in various ways for a year, cheered me on enthusiastically. I had reached the first two and was able to ride the wake.

After a few kilometres I felt strong enough to try and take the lead. But I didn't succeed. In the meantime, the headwind had also picked up and slowed our pace. We were almost at the finish line when Petronella put in a sprint. I stayed behind her and together we reached Dokkum, the much-photographed little town with the windmill right at the finish line.

It was as if the heavens were opening up. Suddenly it was raining so hard that it felt like I was driving through a waterfall. Lightning was followed by thunder, but fortunately it didn't turn into a thunderstorm. Petronella was stronger despite the heavy downpour from above and stepped up the pace again. I crossed the finish line about a minute and a half after her, a happy and dripping wet second.

Individual time trial on the last day on the programme to increase fairness. In previous years, individual paddlers had only travelled the entire tour on the wake of faster paddlers and had thus achieved better places than they might have managed on their own. It was perfect for me: no mass start, no unwanted attempts to approach bridge piers. Just paddling. And after the distances of 40 to 50 kilometres that we had covered in the previous days, the 27 kilometres of the last stage almost seemed like a short-distance race. I set off quickly and overtook the four women who had set off in front of me within a few kilometres. It went well and paddling was easy for me. I had expected the first two paddlers to overtake me at some point, but I was happy to hold on to the leading position for as long as possible. I gradually passed master athletes and touring racers who had started ahead of me. We shouted encouragement to each other, happy that we had already made it this far. I could hear the different accents in the cheers. Paddlers from 30 nations took part in the race, from elite racers to more relaxed tourers, if such a tour can be relaxed at all.

Old friends from previous years and making new friends is one of the things that brought me to this race for the third time. Unfortunately, this year the rain and storms limited the time we had to relax on giant cushions at the finish, swap stories and savour the end of each stage.

Now the men in the elite class are also catching up and it was a joy to watch them glide past. I was particularly impressed by the fluid and seemingly effortless style of the Hasulyo brothers, Bruno and Daniel. It looked like they were paddling at a relaxed and leisurely pace, but their speed told a different story. Bart de Zwart was also incredible. He had already finished the non-stop race and was now successfully completing the stage race. Unbelievable! With so many paddlers around me, the time passed quickly, even though I had to zigzag my course to comply with the no-drafting rule and keep three metres away from every other board.

I felt a joyful tingling in my stomach as I approached a special place: the Elfsteden Monument. The bridge is made up of blue and white tiles depicting three speed skaters, a classic scene from the original 11 City Tour, which only takes place when the ice on the canals is at least 15 centimetres thick. The first Elfsteden Tour took place on 2 January 1909, the last on 4 January 1997. As soon as you approach the bridge, you realise that the mosaic consists of portraits of all the speed skaters who have mastered the 11 City Tour so far. The image inspired me and I felt a surge of energy.

Due to the rain, the finish line wasin Leeuwarden had been moved to a drier location, which extended the last stage by one kilometre. As we approached the town, exhaustion set in. I tried to paddle really hard towards the end, but realised that I was slowing down. The last few hundred metres dragged on. I was still in first place, but due to the staggered start I wasn't sure what my actual position was. Finally, I heard music. I saw the finish line and heard my partner Stefan cheering me on. That was wonderful. I paddled to the finish line and was finished - literally. I had never been so exhausted and so happy at the same time. Petronella crossed the finish line about a minute after me, which meant that she was a minute faster than me in the time trial. Marta Abrunedo came third in this stage and Lena Ribeiro fourth. In the overall classification of the four days, Lena was still first, Petronella second, Marta third and I fourth. We had achieved a lot in the days of the tour, just like the paddlers who arrived in Leeuwarden before or after us. I couldn't wait to go ashore, hug my partner and congratulate all the old and new friends with whom I had shared this adventure. Unfortunately, we soon had to leave to be back at our workplaces in Switzerland on Monday morning. The trip on the canals of Friesland was incredible fun and I'm sure it wasn't my last SUP 11 City Tour.