The first day of the event began with the expected bad news (a lull), but also with unexpected good news: 80 participants registered for the event, a new record on the GWA Wingfoil World Tour.
However, the forecast promises to improve towards the end of the week and it will be exciting to see who has done their homework best over the winter. The top favourite in the women's race, at least on paper, is once again world champion Bowien van der Linden (NED) - she won the 2021 title in theSurf Freestyleand became the winner in the disciplineSurf Race only beaten by Olivia Piana - who is not registered for the event in Leucate. Piana reveals the background in an interview HERE on our website.
In the men's competition, it should be clear after a training session a few days ago at the latest that everything is unclear - promising and hitherto virtually unknown talents enter the arena almost daily and make it clear that they are not just sparring partners for the top favourites Titouan Galea, Balz Müller and Malo Guénole.
We had two super days last weekend. The young riders are improving so quickly, it's incredible. I'm not sure whether we're still at the top level. Balz Müller
Riccardo Zorzi, who claimed his first victory on the Tour in Tarifa in 2021, is also unsure:"I'm a bit nervous, because the level has exploded again since last season. But I've trained hard and I'm staying positive."
Riders from the USA are also increasingly making their way onto the tour, such as Zane Schweitzer from Hawaii and the McDonalds trio from Hood River in Oregon. Julian Salmonn and Linus Pünder will be competing for Germany, while freestyler Stefan Spiessberger will be representing Austria.
The GWA Wingfoil World Cup Leucate should therefore be exciting. We will keep you up to date on all developments and provide you with all the results, interviews and videos.
Stay tuned!
