| Sophie Routaboul breaks personal kiteboarding record in the Luderitz Speed Challenge |
| Sunday, 15 November 2009 18:13 |
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Today began a couple hours later than yesterday as riders waited for the tide to drop and the wind to peak. After yesterday’s great conditions and fantastic results, many riders wanted to conserve their energy to make sure they were taking full advantage of the run when it was at its optimum condition. While conditions were good, they weren’t as huge as yesterday. It was a touch less windy, and there was some strange chop throwing up sudden rough patches. Sophie Routaboul was part of the organising team at last year’s event, and a kitesurfing novice then -- today she was dfoing regular runs in the high thirty-knots, and steadily improving, breaking personal bests with every successive race. Melissa Gil (Cabrinha) arrived at the strip in Lüderitz today from the USA, more than a little unimpressed with British Airways for leaving her bags behind, including most of her gear. One kite and her spare harness was all she had -- other competitors lent her a wetsuit and spare boards. None of this fazed her - she got onto the strip and gave it horns, and hopes that the airline’s promise of her bags arriving here tomorrow will materialize. And as the Speed Challenge continues, a lot of riders have also started to increase the number of runs they do in a day. You see the same riders come blasting down the strip, time and time again, as the intensity of the competition becomes greater. It will only be a matter of time before more national records start falling. Tomorrow, the conditions are also expected to be good for racing, and riders are now preparing themselves for a fourth consecutive day of competition.
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