Titouan Puyo and Cecile Gondre take Day 1 of the Oleron Island Paddle Challenge, France
Titouan Puyo continues his charge to take the win on Day 1 of the Oleron event
Titouan Puyo (Starboard) continues his charge today at the beautiful Island of Oleron in France by taking the win on day one of the Oleron Island Stand Up Paddle Challenge, stop number 2 of the European Cup, presented by Starboard. A relatively slow start, saw Titouan gradually build momentum through the race and then step up into overdrive over the second half of the course to take the win in one of the first true downwinders of the season.
It is clear that this young talent from New Caledonia is someone to look out for on the Stand Up World Series, as he makes his presence felt, reveling in the downwind conditions and taking down some of the sport’s biggest names here on Day 1.
Check out the highlights on the video section at www.watermanleague.com
Eric Terrien puts on a powerful performance on Day 1 in Oleron
It was then a battle for second, with the powerful Frenchman Eric Terrien (Bic SUP) putting on a strong performance at home in France, to take the edge over the visiting Hawaiian, Zane Schweitzer (Starboard), still on a high from his win last weekend in Bilbao.
Eric is always dangerous, especially when the going gets tough and is a great endurance paddler. While he wasn’t able to take down Titouan Puyo (Starboard), he was ecstatic to see Titouan take the win and him in second.
Zane Schweitzer excels once again at Stop #2 of the European Cup in Oleron
Zane Schweitzer (Starboard) started off really strong in today’s long distance race, and powered his way down the course, but decided to take the inside line, hoping that this would give him an advantage to be able to take the win. Unfortunately for Zane, it proved that the outside line was the one to take, and while it was a valiant battle for 2nd with Eric Terrien (Bic SUP), Zane was unable to pass the powerful Frenchman, having to settle for 3rd place.
However, when you look at his performance in Bilbao, he got a 3rd place here too on the first day, so stay tuned for tomorrow’s sprint racing to see what happens next….
Casper Steinfath puts on another impressive performance at Stop 2
Casper Steinfath (Naish) put on another solid performance today, finishing in a commendable 4th place in the long distance. Coming off an impressive 2nd place overall in Bilbao, Casper won the sprint racing, so will be looking to improve on his position tomorrow as we get underway with the World Series Sprints.
Beau O’Brian puts on another consistent performance at Stop number 2 of the Cup
In 5th place, it was the Australian, Beau O’Brian (Starboard), staying right up there in the mix and continuing his consistent form on the Series this year.
As always, Beau is a name to watch out for and invariably proves to be the dark horse, stepping up to be counted when you least expect him. Watch out for this impressive athlete as we ramp up for the World Series Sprints tomorrow.
Cecile Gondre takes victory on Day 1 of the Oleron Island Paddle Challenge
Meanwhile in the women’s division, it was Cecile Gondre (Bic SUP) who took the win, followed by Valerie Vitry, in one of the more challenging courses of the year so far, as the athletes faced raw Ocean Conditions to be able to make it down the course and to the finish line.
We now wait to see what will happen tomorrow, so make sure to stay tuned to www.facebook.com/StandUpWorldSeries for the latest updates and news as we will conclude stop number 2 of the 2014 Oleron Island Stand Up Paddle Challenge.
Oleron Island provides the setting for a World Class downwind run
Oleron Island has once again provided a beautiful race course for Stop number 2 of the European Cup presented by Starboard and one of the best European downwind runs so far. Stay tuned for tomorrow as we embark on the World Series Sprints and the culmination of the Oleron Island Paddle Challenge.
A big thank you to Diabolo Fun and the beautiful Island of Oleron for hosting this dramatic 2nd stop on the 2014 European Cup presented by Starboard. Make sure to watch the highlights and stay tuned to www.watermanleague.com
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