Starboard Dream Team rider Espe Barreras wins at the Spanish Beach Racing Championship this weekend. The Cto de España de Beach Race was held in Somo, Cantabria in the North West of Spain. The excited paddle board racers were treated to good weather and an unbeatable atmosphere bringing together the best riders on the Spanish SUP racing scene.
After 2 weeks of preparation for this event in Somo, with good surf conditions, race day arrived and the ocean conditions changed up and unfortunately, the swell dropped off. Small swells and waves made the race more demanding as there weren’t many bumps to ride, in addition, to a really hot summers day. The 5km event was a technical beach race format, with beach flags set up in the shallows instead of buoys as the swell was so small.
Espe had a good start, reaching the first turn of the buoy leading over the always strong Laura Quetglas, and the young Izaskun Martín. From there she continued to open a gap until she crossed the finish line in a comfortable first place.
The varied course sections made the race more technical with upwinds, downwinds and turns in the small breakers, so Espe decided to race her “magic” All Star 14 x 22.5 with which she feels super comfortable in all kinds of conditions.
The Cto de España de Beach Race marks the start second half of the Spanish SUP racing season after the hiatus onset by the pandemic. Espe will also resume competing in the EUROTOUR, followed by more Spanish Championships in the Long Distance and Sprint disciplines, taking place in Alicante and Seville later on in the year.
Picture Credits: Up SUPing and Foto Surf Somo | Location: Somo, Spain
