PKRA - Day 2 - Major Action Hits Adicora

With the beach even more packed than the day prior, spectators and competitors arrived to the second day of the Copa Mundial de Kitesurf Adicora with palpable eagerness and enthusiasm. Riders, volunteers, friends, family, and fans all gathered early on, not taking the chance of missing a single moment of action. As the forecast was expected to build throughout the day, Race Director Erik Troostheide made the decision to run races first, followed by the beginning of men’s freestyle single eliminations.

Starting around 11:45 with race #3, the racers entered the water once again, more motivated than ever to improve upon their previous day’s standings and climb closer to a top ranking. One fact throughout every race of the day became clear: Bryan Lake (USA) and Riccardo Leccese (COL) were the men to beat. With every race, these two competitors separated from the pack with much distance, inspiring consistent one-on-one battles for first position. At each mark and at nearly every down and upwind stretch, Leccese and Lake went head to head, putting on an amazing racing spectacle for all to see. The crowd grew more exited than ever at these moments of close calls and tight finishes, which only demonstrated why racing is deservedly one of the fastest growing disciplines in the sport of kiteboarding. In speaking of the racing conditions in Adicora, Bryan Lake discussed how happy he is to compete in a place with such great conditions, and that this may very well be his favorite PKRA tour stop of the year thus far.

In the afternoon, the “godfather" of kiting in Adicora - Carlos Cornieles arrived all the way from Hood River, Oregon, USA, to support his community and see the transformation that kiteboarding is contributing to in Venezuela. Interacting with the crowd and inspiring even more excitement and appreciation, Cornieles commented that he feels incredibly proud and fulfilled to witness such a monumental event taking place in his home spot. Interestingly enough, Carlos began windsurfing at this spot nearly 20 years ago, eventually opening the first kite school in Venezuela here in Adicora.

The hour of 3:00pm brought about the beginning of the men’s single elimination freestyle heats at the Copa Mundial de Kitesurf Adicora. Starting off with Aquiles Zabala (VEN) and Johnno Scholte (NED), both competitors put on a show for the crowd, with the local Venezuelan earning many cheers and applause - Scholte advancing. Locals Manuel Milan (VEN) and Oscar Hurtado (VEN) also initially and happily advanced in their heats, eventually losing to top riders Alberto Rondina, (ITA) and Alex Pastor (ESP). Big moves were brought forth by Kevin Langeree (NED) and Youri Zoon (NED), as well as Stefan Spiessberger (AUS). Perhaps not surprisingly, the highest score of the day went to Pastor, who demonstrated great amplitude and consistency in his heat #16, which earned 50.45 total points. Zoon took second place for the highest scoring heat of the day with 48.74.

For tomorrow, great wind is expected to continue, with forecasts calling for a solid 15-19 knots of winds. The live cast also came together today with success, as commentator Dave Tyburski operated in the live stream booth, bringing the action to viewers around the world. This live stream will continue for the remainder of the event, for which comments and suggestions are always welcome via Facebook and Twitter. Main sponsors TEX. C.A., Siragon, CanTV, and the city of Adicora can be recognized as well for contributing to such a great and well-received event here on the windy shores of the Caribbean Sea.