Registration Day - 2014 Fuerteventura Grand Slam

[Toby]

PKRA News:

Registration Day - 2014 Fuerteventura Grand Slam

Registration for the 13th year of the PKRA Fuerteventura Kiteboarding World Cup was held today as riders descended on the event site at Playa Sotavento. As the longest running event in the tour’s history, the event has seen the evolution of the sport from the earliest days of kiteboarding to today’s modern competition styles and format.

In total, 46 competitors representing 18 nationalities will do battle over the coming days in the disciplines of freestyle and slalom. The best riders in the world will put it all on the line to earn their share of the more than $60,000 up for grabs.

The unique and scenic destination of Fuerteventura, Spain, in the Canary Islands, is famous for its strong side offshore wind that is funneled across the lunar landscape. It is known to provide some of the most exciting conditions of any stop on the tour calendar, with wind often exceeding 30-40 knots, making for some challenging freestyle conditions and spectacular slalom action.

This fourth freestyle stop of the 2014 tour stands out as an important event for the top men and women. Current men’s point leader Christophe Tack is looking to secure his run at the world title with a strong finish here. Other top riders including Marc Jacobs, Alex Neto, Aaron Hadlow and Liam Whaley have been training hard and hope to put a stop to Tack’s title crusade. Karolina Winkowska is eager to retake the lead spot from Gisela Pulido, yet a hungry pack of up and comers are proving the ladies showdown equally as exciting.

The forecast for the week looks to be classic Fuerteventura conditions. Tomorrow will see the start of the men’s freestyle trials with a rider’s meeting at 11 am and a first possible start at 12 pm. The live stream is scheduled to begin with slalom on Sunday and the start of the single elimination freestyle on Monday.