Starboard Dream Team Rider, Clement Colmas (FRA), has just earned double gold medals a the 2023 European SUP Championships, winning both the Long Distance and Technical races. You probably already saw it in the social media, but Peniche, Portugal delivered some exceptional swell over the weekend which made for challenging but exciting racing — ideal for the island of New Caledonia.
Here’s Clement’s feedback on how it felt to race in those challenging conditions and the gear he chose;
“Just so happy to get the titles in the Long Distance and Technical Races! I missed the sprint at the beginning with beach running mistakes…
On the Long Distance event, we had some big swell at the start and the finish with an up and downwind course which made me very happy. I opted for the All Star 14 x 20,5 ~ which was fast on the upwind and downwind, but a bit narrow in the most choppy and challenging parts of the course.
I could get an advantage on the field each lap after the downwind and manage to keep the lead until the finish.
For the Technical Race, I used the All Star 14 x 21,75 which is a lot easier the manage when the conditions are hard.
We still have some nice swell for the TR and it was a challenging course in the impact zone. Super glad to take advantage of this messy weather!
I am now getting back home and will be focusing on my preparation for the upcoming ICF SUP Worlds in Thailand.”
~ Cordialement, Clement
