Surfing, Kiteboarding, Windsurfing and Bodyboarding News Center. Breaking News, Surfing Games, Surf Movies, Board Size Charts, Surf Videos, Wind and Wave Forecasts, Surf Shop, Surf Spots, Surf Cams, Surf Travel.
Action is back to the 2009 Luderitz Speed Challenge
Saturday, 14 November 2009 08:50

Luderitz Speed Challenge

After a week of near calm, broken only by bizarrely unseasonal rainstorms and drizzle, today dawned bright, clear and windy.

The speed strip was opened again, and competitors had another opportunity to train and familiarize themselves with it.

A number of new people have arrived in the past few days - Fred Kloren, Hennie Bredenkamp, Marc Avela pulled into town yesterday evening from Cape Town, and needed a bit of a run to get the 1100km of sitting in a comfy chair out of their legs. It was a great preview for tomorrow, especially for the competitors who had arrived as recently as yesterday.

With the wind blowing blowing between 25 to 30 knots, many riders were recording speeds in the low forties, the fastest time of the day going to Sebastian Cattelan, who recorded an unverified time of 46.5 knots, with Rob Douglas, Jerôme Bila, and Alex Caizergues all hot on his heals.

The rough water near the end of the strip was again proving challenging, with heavy chop -- hitting ‘speed-bumps’ 20-30cm high when you’re doing 80kph+ requires a lot of strength, balance and luck to save a wipeout.

Today’s run showed that almost everyone has stepped up their game from last year, as competitors were recording “training” times that two or three years ago would have meant new records - and the wind was barely even blowing as hard as it can - and does!

Everyone is looking forward to this weekend when the wind is really supposed to come through, with forecasts looking at adding another 10-15 knots to today’s conditions.

Tomorrow, the riders will finally get a chance to prove that their new equipment and new technique will translate into new personal bests and new world records.


SOURCE: Luderitz Speed Challenge


 

Join our surfing community in Facebook!   Get the top news stories in your Twitter account!   SurferToday.com on Google +   Follow us on Pinterest   SurferToday on Youtube

Wind Speed and Direction Forecast

Wave Height Forecast

Surf Videos

Online Surfing Games

Board Size Chart

Surf Photos

Surf Training and Fitness Exercises for Surfers

Surf Travel

Surf Movies

Surf Books

SURFING

Bob Meistrell, co-founder of Body Glove, passes away at 84
19/06/2013
article thumbnail

Bob Meistrell, co-founder of Body Glove, has passed away at 84.
Bob was hours younger than his brother Bill, who left the world of waves in 2006. The identical twins started Body Glove, in 1965. They wanted to stay longer in cold water temperatures. Robert Meistrell was a passionate diver and, above all, a waterman. Personal submarines were also part of his list of hobbies. He even discovered a gold coin treasure in a paddle wheel steamer that sunk off Crescent City, California.


Surf stars keep riding at the Oakley Pro Bali 2013
19/06/2013
article thumbnail

Top seeds have fought back to earn a ticket to Round 3 of the Oakley Pro Bali 2013, at Keramas, Indonesia.
With clean four-to-six foot (1.5 – 2 metre) waves on offer at the primary site of Keramas, Kelly Slater smashed wildcard Jack Robinson by capturing the day's high 18.17 out of a possible 20 for a masterful display of forehand tube-riding and power turns. "There are some really good waves out there when they come. Still though, I'm two for two on slow heats. The waves are fun when they [ ... ]


+ Surfing News

KITEBOARDING

ISAF publishes the "Beginners Guide to Kiteboarding"
19/06/2013
article thumbnail

The "ISAF Beginners Guide to Kiteboarding" is a complete wind riding manual for starters, with launching, safety, self-rescue and pack down lessons.
Aspiring kiteboarders can enjoy numerous experiences, setting personal goals at every level. Learning well is part of the process of becoming a good rider. The sport combines the best elements of windsurfing, sailing and wakeboarding all in one and not only offers the fastest performance but has the highest and longest 'airtime' potential.


Largest amateur kiteboarding race hits Hood River
19/06/2013
article thumbnail

The 7th Annual Kiteboarding 4 Cancer (KB4C) will take place in Hood River, Oregon, between 13th-14th July, 2013.
The largest amateur kiteboarding race in North America expects to attract 200 riders racing and raising funds for Athletes 4 Cancer's Camp Koru Survivorship Program. The Kite Derby challenges the tenacity of the most advanced and novice kiters alike with a six-hour endurance race. Kiteboarders race around a three-mile course on the Columbia River, spanning more than 100 miles per  [ ... ]


+ Kitesurfing News

WINDSURFING

Monfalcone crowns 2013 Raceboard Youth and Masters world champions
18/06/2013
article thumbnail

Giuseppe Zerillo and Pawel Gardasiewicz have been crowned the 2013 Raceboard Youth and Masters world champions, at Marina Julia, Monfalcone.
The final day of windsurfing races saw one more race being run, for a total of six counting for the overall results. Light wind specialists Giuseppe Zerillo and Pawel Gardasiewicz made it clear right from the start that they were in it to win it, taking bullets in every single race.


Antoine Albeau sails to victory at the 2013 PWA Catalunya World Cup
17/06/2013
article thumbnail

Antoine Albeau has conquered the 2013 PWA Catalunya World Cup, in Spain. The final took four hours to be completed, due to the gusty and shifty winds.
Albeau has tasted his inaugural season triumph, on the beautiful shores of Costa Brava, to halt Bjorn Dunkerbeck from claiming the title, for the first time, in three years. The French sailor demonstrated his perfectly timed starts time and time again, along with a phenomenal top speed to blow the competition out of the water.


+ Windsurfing News

BODYBOARDING

The Jeff Wilcox Memorial Classic returns for 16th edition
18/06/2013
article thumbnail

The Jeff Wilcox Memorial Classic has been revived. One of the longest running independent bodyboarding events in Australia will be run for the 16th year, since 1990.
"You don't have to reach the top to be a champion, just be the best you can be". Jeff Wilcox's quote has never been so updated and real. Inspiring the new generation, that is what the event's all about. Jeff was a brilliant sportsman with amazing potential, excelling in bodyboarding and hockey. He passed away with only 14 years  [ ... ]


The King of the Box 2013 debuts in New South Wales
18/06/2013
article thumbnail

The King of the Box 2013 will attract more than 180 of Australia's best wave riders to the Box Beach, in Port Stephens, Australia.
The world's best bodyboarders have been visiting the Box Beach, in New South Wales, but this year the competition will be opened to surfers, too. An innovative contest structure will have a two-week waiting period to ensure the best possible conditions. The two selected windows are September 5th-8th or September 12th-15th.


+ Bodyboarding News