European SUP Racing Tour presented by NSP

France Warms Up For Its Euro Tour Main Event With The Northpoint Classic

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Northpoint Classic SUP Race France (6)While Eric Terrien was kicking off the Euro Tour with a win on Mallorca this past weekend, his fellow countrymen were battling it out back home in France. The 6th annual Northpoint Classic, a SUP event that combines surfing and racing into one big weekend, was held in the village of Goulien on the country’s west coast and enjoyed some picture-perfect race conditions.

With sunny skies, light winds and small waves, the 50+ paddlers battled it out around the 8km technical course for just under 50 minutes.

In a tight finish, young gun Arthur Daniel took the win in a time of 48 minutes, 39 seconds, just 7 seconds in front of event organiser and French paddling stalwart, Greg Closier. The first hand account that we received sums it up like this:   → READ MORE

Over 100 Paddlers Hit London For The Battle Of The Thames

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Battle of the Thames stand up paddleboard raceOne of the biggest races in the UK, the annual Battle of the Thames race in London, drew over 100 paddlers to the capital on Saturday in another sign that SUP racing in Europe is growing strong.

The 16km course covered a stretch of the Thames river in Surbiton, just outside London city. Covering it the quickest was the UK’s winningest paddler, Ryan James. The Starboard team rider took line honours on his 14, ahead of Ben Payne and Pete Holliday. In fact the entire top 10 were on 14 footers, with young gun Pete Kosinski the first of the 12’6 paddlers in 11th place.

Over on the women’s side it was Joanne Hamilton Vale, the only female to paddle from one side of Scotland to the other, taking the win (while also getting an impressive top 20 overall).   → READ MORE

The Summer SUP Racing Season Starts In Stockholm, Sweden

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Stand Up Paddling in Stockholm SwedenWhile the main focus of our Euro Tour festivities are the bigger races in France, Germany and Spain, we vow to cover every race in every corner of the continent. One of those corners is in the far north, where the Svenska SUPrace Serien (aka the Swedish SUP Race Series) kicked off in Sweden.

The Swedes have organised an eight race national series this year, with the first race of the season happening on Saturday.

Magnus Lindstedt, who represented Sweden at last year’s ISA Worlds and who’s been coaching world champ Casper Steinfath, showed he’s a class above the rest of the field, comfortably winning both the distance race and the sprints. The story was similar in the women’s, with Maggie Engström too strong in both the distance and sprint events.   → READ MORE

Eric Terrien, Sonni Honscheid Win The Port Adriano SUP Race In Beautiful Mallorca, Spain (UPDATED RESULTS)

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Port Adriano SUP Race MallorcaDay one of the 2014 NSP Euro Tour started with perfect sunny conditions here on beautiful Mallorca, Spain. With a strong field lining up against a backdrop of sandy beaches, colourful and jagged cliffs, imposing islands and turquoise waters, I knew we were in for a great weekend of racing.

The Port Adriano SUP Race is split in two: Long Distance on Saturday and knockout sprint son Sunday. In this morning’s distance race it was France’s Eric Terrien who took the victory, ahead of a very determined Leonard Nika from Italy. Leo set the pace for most of the 13km around the islands outside the luxury Port Adriano, however Eric was too strong in the final 500 metres. Sitting in the lead group of four the whole race and eventually coming home for a very impressive third was former champion Czech marathon canoer, Branislav Sramek, who out-sprinted Austria’s Peter Bartl to the line.   → READ MORE

Euro Tour 2014: The European SUP Racing Season Is About To Begin… And It’s Gonna Be A Whole Lotta Fun In The Sun

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

NSP Euro Tour
It’s here again. The Euro Tour.

Over the next two months there’s going to be non-stop racing in every corner of the continent. France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, the UK… The Lost Mills, Bilbao, the SUP Race Cup, Noja, Namur, Port Adriano… The list goes on. It’s going to be a big couple of months.

While there are awesome races in Europe all year round (even when the snow is falling), the traditional European SUP racing season runs from the middle of May through to the end of June, when the sun is shining and the days are long. So we’ve nicknamed it the “Euro Tour” and thanks to the support of NSP, it’s gonna be center stage here on SUPracer.com over the next 7 weeks (just like we did for the 2013 Euro Tour).

Competing, camaraderie, traveling, exploring, discovering. Making new friends and catching up with old ones. Enjoying the warm sunshine and endless summer days. All with a bit of SUP racing on the side… That’s the Euro Tour.   → READ MORE

First Look: The 2014 Euro Tour Starting To Take Shape

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Lost MillsThe 2014 SUP Racing season is taking shape, with a lot of big events having already planted their flag with plenty of others in the final stages of locking in dates. We’re starting to see the birth of an actual “season” for the first time, with the majority of big events happening in the six month period between early April and early October.

We’re also seeing a mildly logical geographic flow of events forming, where big races in the same regions are being scheduled back-to-back. Nowhere is that more evident in Europe, which has long held big potential for the sport and is now finally coming out of its shell and making the Californias and Hawaiis of the world take notice.   → READ MORE

[RESULTS] Massilia SUP Race, France

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Massilia Stand Up Paddle race 2013Take a look at the latest results from Europe, with the Massilia SUP Race happening in Marseille on the French Riviera this past weekend.

Gale force winds forced a late change of course, with the distance race being cancelled in favour of a 5km Beach Race, in order to spare the newer paddlers being blown off to Corsica… When the paddlers did get onto the water, it was an all French affair as Celine Guesdon edged out Olivia Piana in the women’s race, while up and coming French kid Gabriel Bachelet dominated the men’s event.   → READ MORE

The Final Countdown: 2013 European SUP Racing Tour Ends This Weekend

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

European SUP Racing Tour presented by NSP
We’re just a few days away from the end of the massive European SUP Racing Tour presented by NSP, which has drawn a whole stack of the world’s best Stand Up Paddlers to Europe over the past six weeks.

There’s been some amazing racing in France, Germany, Spain and Belgium, and now we’ve got just one more event to cap off the six week Tour and nudge the total prize purse over the $80k mark…   → READ MORE

Watch Highlights From The Bilbao World SUP Challenge In Spain

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Video: Bilbao World SUP ChallengeCheck out the highlights from the Bilbao World SUP Challenge. The event, held in Spain over the weekend as part of the 2013 Stand Up World Series, was dominated by Team Starboard, with Connor Baxter and Zane Schweitzer taking the top two spots in the men’s while Annabel Anderson put on her usual dominant display in the women’s.

Click through to watch…   → READ MORE

[RESULTS] Peter Bartl, Olivia Piana Win In Namur

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Namur SUP Race 2013Austrian dark horse and JP Australia team rider Peter Bartl has defeated Chase Kosterlitz and French young gun Arthur Daniel to claim the Happy Summer SUP Challenge, the $10,000 SUP race that was held today in Namur, Belgium. Meanwhile Fanatic’s Olivia Piana triumphed in the women’s race ahead of Melanie Brandstätter and Celine Gondert.

Click through for more…   → READ MORE

European SUP Racing Tour Week #5: Big Names And $30,000 On Offer This Weekend…

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

2013 European SUP Racing Tour Week 5
The 2013 European SUP Racing Tour presented by NSP has been a whole lotta of fun so far. Over the past month we’ve been all over France and into Germany, following some of the biggest names in the sport as they compete against Euro land’s finest.

Europe is a definite hot spot for SUP racing. It’s still a couple of years behind the likes of Hawaii and Australia in terms of talent, but it’s already got the races and it’s definitely got the enthusiasm and stoke among the paddlers themselves. In a couple of years I think it could be leading the way for Stand Up Paddle racing on a global level, so it’s been great to see so many big names racing in Europe at the same time this Summer. This really has been a breakout year for SUP racing in Europe.

But the fun isn’t quite over, we’re only up to Week #5 of the six-week “Tour” and this could be the biggest weekend yet, with two massive events offering a combined $30,000 in prize money, and a whole stack of big guns set to battle it out…   → READ MORE

Stand Up World Series To Be Webcast Live & Direct From Bilbao (Spain) This Weekend

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Bilbao World SUP ChallengeThe 2013 Stand Up World Series has taken us to some fairly exotic locations so far, such as the Iceberg Lake in Chile and the desserts of the UAE. Now the World Series has reached Europe and the second leg of its “European Trilogy” starts in less than 48 hours.

After Oleron (France) a couple of weeks ago, the Stand Up World Series hits Spain for the Bilbao World SUP Challenge. All weekend we’ll get to watch the likes of Connor Baxter, Eric Terrien, Casper Steinfath and Annabel Anderson battle it out for the massive $20,000 prize purse.

Best of all: The entire event will be webcast LIVE right here on SUPracer.com all weekend.   → READ MORE

[RESULTS] Chase Kosterlitz Wins In Noja, Spain

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

III Deep SUP Race NojaChase Kosterlitz has taken out the 3rd edition of the “Deep SUP Race” in Noja, Spain on the weekend to continue his good form in Europe this Summer. The Fanatic International rider beat the best from Spain, including Roman Frejo, team mate Belar Diaz and reigning Spanish Champ Manuel Simoncelli, to win both the Distance and Beach races.

Meanwhile Laura Quetglas was far too strong, taking out the women’s races and beating half the men in the process. Full results and photos…   → READ MORE

UPDATE: We’re Halfway Through The “European SUP Racing Tour” Presented By NSP; Here’s What’s Happened + What’s Coming Up

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

European SUP Racing Tour update
We’re halfway through the six-week European SUP Racing Tour (presented by Travis Grant’s buddies over at NSP). So far we’ve had three big weekends of racing and there’s another three coming up, so it’s time to step back and look at what’s gone down as well as what’s coming up…   → READ MORE

WATCH: Photo/Video Recap From Oleron (World Series)

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Oleron Stand Up Paddle race videosWatch the action from the Oleron Island Stand Up Paddle Challenge (part of the Stand Up World Series) that went down in France on the weekend. Plenty of the world’s best were in town and were greeted with some hardcore conditions, as high winds and storms lashed the island and disrupted the racing.

The Long Distance was cut well short while the sprint races didn’t exactly look easy. So for the winners, Connor Baxter and Annabel Anderson, it was even more well deserved than usual. Click through to watch…   → READ MORE

RESULTS: Connor Baxter, Annabel Anderson Win Oleron (Stand Up World Series France)

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Connor Baxter WINS OleronThe latest results from the Oleron Island Stand Up Paddle Challenge, which is the French leg of the 2013 Stand Up World Series. Plenty of the pros are in this one, including Connor, Kai, Eric, Chase, Jacko, Beau, Jake, Casper and Annabel.

The event has just wrapped up and again it’s Connor Baxter taking the overall victory ahead of rival Kai Lenny. Click through to see the FULL RESULTS…   → READ MORE

The Stand Up World Series (And Some Big Names) Hits France This Weekend For The Oleron Island SUP Challenge

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Oleron Island SUP Challenge 2013The Stand Up World Series hits Europe this weekend, with the big Oleron Island SUP Challenge happening on the West coast of France over the next few days.

Several of the world’s best men and women are in town, including Connor Baxter, Chase Kosterlitz, Annabel Anderson, Kai Lenny, Zane Schweitzer plus the Aussie contingent of Paul & Angie Jackson, Jake Jensen and Beau O’Brian. They’ll be up against Europe’s finest (including world beater Eric Terrien and the Danish Viking Casper Steinfath) and battling it out in the knockout beach sprints as well as the big 30km distance race. Best of all: The whole event will be WEBCAST live…   → READ MORE

WATCH: First Highlights Of The 2013 Lost Mills

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

2013 Lost Mills race videoCheck out the first highlights from the weekend’s big race in Germany, the 2013 Lost Mills International.

After two full days of fun (and unique) SUP racing, it all came down to the main event on the final day; the 18km Long Distance race. If you’ve read the 2013 Lost Mills results & recap you’ll know that Eric Terrien destroyed the field to record a memorable victory…   → READ MORE