I'm not familiar with the course, however it did mention that part of it is in a river, I think it's tidal. That could partially account for the super-fast pace!
Here's the write-up from Waterman League (which seems impossible to find a link to, I got it via email, anyone able to find this on their website?):
Sunday 6 May
Eric Terrien wins 1st Euro leg of the Stand Up World Series
Amidst a highly competitive and international field of athletes, Eric Terrien once again reads the conditions immaculately, to secure the win in not only the sprint race, but also overall here at the first European stop on the Stand Up World Series.
Eric navigated the fast paced sprint course with skill and precision, fending off the ever dangerous Kai Lenny (Naish) to cross the finish line first and match his phenomenal long distance result here in France. Congratulations on a great result and a dominant performance from this leading European athlete.
Kai Lenny battles to the end, narrowly missing out on win
Kai Lenny (Naish) dominated every heat he competed in through the day until the final, where he shot off the start like a bullet, leading the race through the first leg, with Eric Terrien right on his heals. However, Eric then accelerated past, before Kai managed to surf his way back into the lead again. Much to his dismay, he ended up getting caught up around the inside buoy, allowing Eric slip through the gap to take the win both in the beach sprint race, but also the overall win at Stand Up World Series stop 2.
Despite the dissapointment of not taking the win in the Beach Sprint Race at La Torche, Kai Lenny finishes a very worthy second place here at the La Torche Pro with Naish and Hoalen.
Casper Steinfath does his country proud here in France
As the sole Danish representative here at the La Torche Pro with Naish and Hoalen, Casper Steinfath (Naish) stepped up not only in the surf competition having been awarded a well deserved wildcard, but also the Racing, with a 4th place in the sprint race and a 3rd place in the long distance.
Casper is certainly someone to look out for in the future and has provend himself as an exceptionally well rounded athlete.
Local Greg Closier completes the final 4 at La Torche Pro
Despite a dissappointing disqualification from the long distance race on Friday (due to him missing the final mark), Greg Closier wasted no time in making up for the loss in the beach sprint race yesterday, battling his way through the pack and the eliminations to finish in an impressive 3rd place.
Unfortunately, his lack of a result in the long distance does not help his overall standings, despite having demonstrated his abilities in front of an extremely enthusiastic crowd. However, he has certainly proved himself as a name to watch for right here on the Stand Up World Series. Here he shares a wave with Kody Kerbox (Naish) and one of the leading Fanatic riders.
Mo Freitas caps an incredible event with a 5th place finish
After his 7th place in the Stand Up World Tour surf event and now 7th in the Stand Up World Series event, (with a 5th in the beach race and 12th in the long distance), 14 year old Mo Freitas (Imagine) proves to be way beyond his years, showing that he can not only keep up with the Champion's of the sport, but beat them. Without a doubt, this young phenom from Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu has a great future ahead of him.
Leonard Nika from Italy stands out at the La Torche Pro
Leonard Nika (Starboard) shows the world that he is a force to be reckoned with at the La Torche Pro with Naish and Hoalen, finishing in 5th place in the long distance and 6th in the Beach Sprint elimination, propelling him to 4th place overall for the Stand Up World Series event here in NW France.
Leonard is certainly someone to look out for in 2012, as he represents Italy on the Stand Up World Championship Racing Series.
Women stand out at La Torche Pro with Naish & Hoalen
The women stand strong in the Stand Up World Series component of the La Torche Pro Grand Slam, showcasing that the talent and competition is every bit as intense as the men.
With a dominating performance in both the City Long distance Race and the Beach Sprint slalom elimination race, Olivia Piana (Fanatic) demonstrated her exceptional talent in both racing styles with bullet wins in both, like Eric Terrien. This naturally means that she also secures the overall event win on this spectacular European leg on the Stand Up World Series.
In second in both the City and Beach Race, Faustine Merret secured her 2nd place overall, and universal acclaim for a great performance here at La Torche.
In third in the City Race, local to the region of Brittany, Caroline Angibaud demonstrated that she is not only a phenomenal talent in surfing (with a win earlier this week in the women's division of the Stand Up World Tour), but also in Racing too, with a stand out performance in this unique Long Distance race.
Meanwhile, 3rd overall went to 3rd place finisher in the Beach Sprint Race, Patricia Hernandez from Spain, with strong finishes in both. Congratulations to all the women: an exciting taste of what is to come in terms of intense competition amongst the world's very best athletes.
Beach Race provides a spectacular close to La Torche Pro
The Beach Sprint elimination Race provides a fitting and spectacular close to what has been an epic World Series showdown at the La Torche Pro with Naish and Hoalen. Welcoming athletes from 16 different countries, the Stand Up World Series strengthens its mission of uniting a legitimate global world championship series through 2012, that will mature into 2013 and beyond.
This first stop in Europe brought together athletes from as far away as Australia, Hawaii, Brazil and Mexico, to as close as Pont l'Abbe for a completely unique event that tested racers' complete racing skill set and demonstrated that Europe is fast becoming an immense hotbed of stand up paddle talent.
Final Results from the 2012 Stand Up World Series, stop 2
Full results and video highlights will be available by tomorrow (results & by later this week for video highlights) at
www.latorchepro.com. Updated rankings will be available online at
www.standupworldseries.com, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here is a summary of the podium results:
Overall World Series Results: Men
1. Eric Terrien (FR) - 4000 pts
2. Kai Lenny - Naish (HI) - 3000 pts
3. Casper Steinfath - Naish (DK) - 2750 pts
Overall World Series Results: Women
1. Olivia Piana (Fanatic) - FR - 4000 pts
2. Faustine Merret (FR) - 3000 pts
3. Patricia Hernandez (SP) - 2750 pts
City Race Results: Men
1. Eric Terrien (FR)
2. Gaeten Sene - Starboard (FR)
3. Casper Steinfath - Naish (DK)
City Race Results: Women
1. Olivia Piana - Fanatic (FR)
2. Faustine Merret (FR)
3. Caroline Angibaud (FR)
Beach Race Results: Men
1. Eric Terrien (FR)
2. Kai Lenny - Naish (HI)
3. Casper Steinfath - Naish (DK)
Beach Race Results: Women
1. Olivia Piana - Fanatic (FR)
2. Faustine Merret (FR)
3. Patricia Hernandez (SP)
After 2 events, Kai Lenny is currently leading the Stand Up World Series based off his results at stop 1 in Fiji and stop 2 here in France.
Next up: Ile d'Oleron, Chicago & Sweden coming up soon
Coming up next on the Stand Up World Series are the following races:
• France: Ile d'Oleron Paddle Challenge: 22nd - 24th June 2012
• USA: Chicago World Paddle Challenge: 30th June - 2nd July
• Sweden: Betsafe Paddle Challenge, Varberg: 14th - 15th July 2012
Online registration for all 3 events will go live this week, so stay tuned to
www.standupworldseries.com for the latest news, information and highlights from the Stand Up World Series. Complete video highlights will go live this week.
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