FROM THE BATTLEFIELD, Breaking news as the story unfolds..

[RoelvanN]

Inmiddels wordt er behoorlijk gebattled op de Nederlandse en Europese wateren. Onze Nederlandse jongens zijn hard in training en maken vorderingen. Niet alleen Nederlandse wedstrijden worden bezocht. Het Eurosupa klassement maakt het bijv. mogelijk om met races in heel Europa je persoonlijke punten score op te bouwen.

Maar ook beginnende suppers proberen hun eerst wedtrijdtochtjes en zijn enthousiast over het sportieve suppen.

Dit is de plek om je verhalen/verslagen te delen met je collega's.

De eerste SUPrace in Europa met richting de 20.000 euro prijzengeld vond afgelopen weekend plaats in Duitsland.

We trappen vandaag af met vaste reporter 'Racy Chase' die afgelopen weekend deze Lost Mills Suprace in Duitsland heeft gepeddeld!

 

Chase battled al mee sinds de eerste Stand Up Paddle Holland Meet & Greet 2010. Hij is een multitalented paddler die naast SUP Race ook enthousiast SUP surfed en in Haarlem en Bloemendaal de OC6 kano peddeld. 

 

Cool!  Take it away Chase!!

 

[Chase Paans]

Chase won the Lost Mills race!!!  Not this Chase but the World Champ Chase Kosterlitz who came to visit me in Holland a few weeks earlier, and give a clinic and Fanatic Media event in Amsterdam.  Hope you've seen the pictures of that.

The Lost Mills race was was one of the best races I've done so far.  Having done races in Florida and mostly in Holland it was nice to experience a 5 star International SUP race.  The competition in Europe is just as good as anywhere else, except we don't have as many people competing.. YET!

Four of us from Holland drove down to Germany.  I was with Ricardo Haverschmidt (Starboard) who is also my training partner.  Both of us have been training hard, and finding a training partner is a great way to get better.  Just ask Bart de Zwart, who shared training tips on how he trains with his training partner - Connor Baxter - and we all know how good he has been.

We got to the Brombachsee and right away were impressed with how well the event was set up.  It was Friday evening and there had already been a few races on Thursday and Friday.  The big Elite Long Distance was coming up on Saturday.  After a good review of the area map and course lay out, Rico and I went for a paddle to get a feel for the place.  The interesting thing about this race is that half way through there would be running part to get around the dam to the other side of the lake.  There was a little beach and you had to carry your board about 60 meters across a bike path and then launch into the next lake.  Always hard to do if you've been standing in one position during a race.  We got a feel for it and did a nice easy paddle to loosen up after the 7 hour drive.

We showed up again the next morning for the race.  Skippers meeting at 1130 and on the water at 12.  All the pros where showing up and it was interesting to see their preparations.  We hit the water and lined up for the race.  The start is so important in a SUP race and I was jockeying for position.  I squeezed myself into a good spot with a straight shot at the first buoy.  Just before the horn sounded we all looked up at a remote control Helicopter fully decked out with 2 Nikon cameras and videocamera.  It hovered over our head and you can see some great pictures form it on the Lost Mills site (lostmills.de).  I had a great start and was just behind the lead pack in the beginning.  However, it is incredible how fast these guys are.  I checked my start speed after the race and I got up to 11.7 km/h.  The pros were even faster.  Not only that, but they can hold that speed for about 5 mins.  15 minutes into the race is when the draft trains form nicely.  Getting on a draft is important.  I was holding my own good line in the front but wanted to get with the next group.  Right when I was moving in I noticed I was inside the nature reserve buoys, which they told us at the briefing that anyone who goes through the nature reserve would be disqualified.  I had to change my line and a few guys passed me.  On to the running part and the second lake.  I got a great launch on the beach and had to slow my race pace after the run. It was at this point where I was passed by a guy who paddled the whole race ON ONE SIDE.  No kidding, he paddled the whole course with his paddle on the left.  The guy was steady and fast too.  I was able to draft him for a while but ultimately couldn't keep up as he kept going faster.  Turns out this guy had paddled 30 years in a C1 canoe.  Once the C1 guys discover SUP and make the transition, we will have some really difficult competition.

It was a sprint across the running part again and then a sprint to the finish.  I made it in with the third pack with Ricardo on the lead.  Once on the beach all the paddlers were laughing and talking about the race.  Its really nice to see that at the end of the race, no matter who won, there is a very good vibe.  I've noticed this at all the SUP races I've done.  Its nice to see and it shows how much everyone likes being a part of the small SUP racing group, worldwide.

The awards ceremony was well done with the first 5-place finishers in each class getting prizes.  Thats the way it should be.  A lot of effort goes into training and its always sour to finish 4th and not get a reward.  Hope there will be more of this.  Of course we ended the awards ceremony with the Biggest beers in the world.  Theres a great picture of Chase Kosterlitz holding one.  He drank most of it, but found out later it was alcohol free Erdinger.... good thing.

On to the next races in Holland coming up in June.  See you all there.

Chase  

[RoelvanN]

Wow great story! Thnx Chase! Had erbij willen zijn!