| Unstable winds delay the 2009 PKRA Germany |
| Monday, 27 July 2009 13:48 |
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The second day of the 2009 PKRA Tour stop being held in the North Sea coast of Germany was greeted by wonderful weather conditions. The sun was out most of the day and sunny blue skies prevailed throughout the morning and afternoon with temperatures peaking at 22° Celsius. The mandatory riders’ meeting was held outside the riders’ tent area at exactly 10:00 am while the supposedly 10:30 am first possible start was delayed by half an hour due to the unpredictable winds. Exactly 11:00 am, the red flag was raised kicking-off the men’s Single Freestyle eliminations. Race Director Olaf Van Tol then made a decision three minutes into the first heat to cancel the contest because of diminishing winds. The lack of wind made it almost impossible for the riders to stay upwind even on their 12 to 14-meter kites, much less perform any tricks. Several minutes later, the wind showed a promising comeback so heat #1a was resumed. Sebastien Garat (RRD, FRA) had an easy win, landing a switch slim, 313 and a back mobe, defeating Spain’s Forrest Bakker (Flexifoil) who could only land a blind judge in the light winds. Youri Zoon (Slingshot, NED) had a decent heat in the second set despite the very light winds, landing several switch tricks, blind judge with aerial handle pass, 313, back mobe, front mobe, kgb and a back mobe to wrapped. The Dutch rider defeated Thomas Paris (North, FRA) who struggled dearly in the light winds but was able to land a blind judge and a back mobe to blind. Around 11:30 am, Van Tol decided to cancel the Freestyle competition before the third heat to move on to course racing which requires less wind. The athletes competing in the course racing competition eagerly rushed to the beach in hopes of getting out onto the water. However, the wind decided not to cooperate and completely died down so the race was called off at 2:00 pm. With the wind forecast not looking good for the rest of the day, the competition was called off and the riders were released. The wind forecast for tomorrow does not look promising but both the competitors, organizers and sports enthusiasts are keeping their fingers crossed and their hopes in high spirits for the Singles Freestyle eliminations to push through tomorrow. The mandatory riders’ meeting for Day #3 is set for 10:00 am with the first possible start at 10:30 am.
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