Winner Lost Mills International SUP Race 2014

It is funny how luck can affect results.
I consider myself being often unlucky in the Battle of the Paddle for example. In 2009 after 5mn of racing my paddle handle came loose. In 2010 I’ve lost my board in a wave at the hammer bouy in 1st lap and had to retire from the race… And I have plenty more about this race..
But when it comes to the Lost Mills Race, in Germany, it is the opposite !
In 2012 I came 2nd , just a few boards length behind Chase Kosterlitz and from then I decided it is a race I want to win.
In 2013 with a huge field of Elite paddlers, I made a move right after the start and took off to eventually create a huge gap and I’ve won the race by more than 2mn.

In 2014 I thought this would be impossible to do. I spent an entire day studying the course, checking where was exactly every bouy. The previous year is was raining and it took me some time to see some bouys. You can’t get lost and the course is very simple, however it is always a stressful situation to be leading a race and not being sure of where to go !

And the funny thing happened about 5km into the race when the leading group of riders turned at the wrong bouy. I seemed impossible as most of them have done the same race already 2 or 3 times. But it just happened. I was a little bit separated from them as I was already aiming towards the far end of the lake in the direction where we were supposed to go when I saw them taking the wrong turn.

First I thought they would realize their mistake very soon and turn back around. Then I started to think I was probably the one going in the wrong direction. I was very confused until I eventually saw them turning around, then I knew I was going in the right direction and I started hammering down ! At this point I had the same gap on the chasing group as in 2013 so I knew that if I don’t do any mistake the win was for me.
And I won the race for the 2nd year in a row with a huge gap on the rest of the field, Stoked !

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