SUP Alps Trophy Heiterwanger See 2020
Without a doubt, the premiere was a success.The Alps Trophy could hardly have a more Alpine backdrop. At Lake Heiterwanger See, the crew from the SUP Station at the "SUP Race by Tiroler Zugspitzarena" ensured the success of the combined event, which counted towards both the Austria SUP Federation (ASF) and the SUP Alps Trophy rankings, with a fantastic set-up on land and on the water, dream weather and almost 100 participants in the five disciplines.
To the sprint race ASF Race Director Rudi van Haven sent a "gigantic" 40 riders onto the water in four heats in the knockout system, who then fought out all the places in four finals, with Claudio Nika (ITA) and Marion Seebauer (AUT) triumphing in the big Winner Final.
Really enthusiasticwere the numerous spectators and the two organisers Bernd Funkhauser and Thomas Falkner of the subsequent ASF Tech Race, which ran around four buoys and featured spectacular turns. Marion Seebauer also won here, while the men's victory this time went to Joep van Bakel from the Netherlands. The battle for second place, which Herrman Husslein won against Nika, was extremely exciting.
Much frequentedIn between, the three exhibitors Fanatic, JP-Australia and Starboard offered information and entertainment to spectators and swimmers with free tests of boards and paddles.
The second day began with the Fanatic Kids Cup, where the winning prizes were also awarded in a knockout system on a short course. The youngest of the twelve kids was not yet five years old, the SUP offspring from Lake Heiterwanger See are likely to attract attention in the coming years.
What the youngsters can doThey were able to demonstrate this at the Starboard Junior Trophy as part of the short distance over 4.3 kilometres. ASF race director Van Haven, who was replaced by Alps Trophy organiser Alois Mühlegger on this day, took the paddle in his hand and laid the foundation for victory over the short distance with a clever start, even though youngster Max Pallares came a little closer to him towards the end. At the finish, however, he still had a lead of almost a minute. The women's competition was completely in the hands of the U16 youngsters, who were also the winners of the Starboard Junior Trophy (Josephina Karst).
An unfamiliar positionThe race director took the lead at the start of the long distance (3 laps over 12.2 kilometres), who was chauffeured to the start line by four paddlers sitting on the XXL board and opened the race with the signal horn punctually at 13:33, after the local shipping liner had passed. Joep van Bakel pulled away early, led after the first lap and brought the race home with a lead of over two and a half minutes - ahead of Ondrj Petrak (CZE), the German Peter Weidert and Claudio Nika and Hermann Husslein (THA), who battled it out for fourth place all the way to the finish line on land. The women's winner Iva Dundova (CZE) finished over three minutes ahead, with Marion Seebauer (2nd) and Susanne Eder-Meyer (3rd) behind her.
With numerous awards and many non-cash prizes at the punctual award ceremony, the top three also received wooden trophies in SUP outline made by the local carpenter, a successful event in a dreamlike Alpine landscape came to an end that calls for a repeat.
