At the same time as the Aussie SUP Titles were happening in Queensland on the weekend, on the other side of the world there was another elite battle taking place, with glory, bragging rights and a trip to the 2014 ISA World Champs on the line there as well.
The French National SUP Titles (“Championnats de France Stand Up Paddle”) have just wrapped up and produced plenty of SUP racing action as well as a couple of interesting surprises. Held in the picturesque town of Carnet on the South of France, the championships featured the best paddlers from one of the strongest SUP nations there is.
The talent pool is France is runs deeper than probably any other nation outside the “Big 3” (Cali/Hawaii/Aus) so this was always going to be a tough event. However nobody would have predicted these results. On the opening day, hot favourite and undisputed king of French stand up paddle racing, Eric Terrien, was defeated by the unheralded Titouan Puyo in the 18km Distance Race, while young gun Arthur Arutkin also crossed the line ahead of the reigning champ. Eric would have his revenge on day two though, with a sweet victory in the Beach Race ensuring he still has one foot in the door on the plane to Nicaragua. → READ MORE