Gabriele Steindl: Professional Kitesurfer & Freelance Writer - Action, Lifestyle & Travels

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1st in the ‘Long Distance Race’ @ the PKRA Worldcup on Coche Island, Venezuela, 12-19 April 2005

First stop of the PKRA World Cup and I am stoked about claiming the victory in the ‘Long Distance Race’ from Margarita Island to Coche and thus climbing the top of the podium in this diszipline.

Yeah, that was great fun to be speeding the 12 kilometer downwind from Margarita island to the neighbouring island Coche, the location of the PKRA’s first stop this year. It took me just over 14 minutes to win the female division and coming even 6th overall !! sweeeet 🙂 In the men’s, Jaime Herraiz was actually fastest but as he never passed through the imaginary ‘goal’ (a line in between a boy in the water and the judges tower on the beach) his time wasn’t acknowledged and Hugo Ljungberg from Sweden won.

In the freestyle, mhhh, I wish I would have managed the same success or anywhere close (which would have been absolutely feasible) but unfortunately couldn’t quite sail up to my full potential and finished 9th.

As the conditions were great all week, we still had time for another discipline. Yes, it was the first time in PKRA history that a slider & kicker park was integrated in the World Cup. With the help of Bertrand Fleury and Mark Ramseier the crew from the kitecenter on Coche built some sick sliders and a huge kicker and off we went! It was great fun and I did oh-so-well until my board broke into two during the semi-finals when I hit the slider a little two hard… still stoked coming 4th and having been one of the brave girls who dared to give this new discipline – which surely is a little on the risky and more radical side – a go !

Overall a great event…I am still for another few days here on Coche in Venezuela, unfortunately currently with absolutely NO wind whatsoever but am hoping to get a good ride in before leaving to chilly Austria for the next stop of the PKRA.