Red Bull Tarifa 2, the competition that pits kitesurfers against windsurfers, transformed the historic rivalry into a fair play battle between both sports.
The event, however, concluded with the twinning between both disciplines at Valdevaqueros Beach, in Spain.
The healthy confrontation was captained by 42-time world windsurfing champion Björn Dunkerbeck and 10-time world kitesurfing champion Gisela Pulido.
After several no-wind days, the competition finally started placing a hundred of windsurfers and kiters face-to-face in a massive speed race.
The goal was to solve one of the premises of the event – decide which of the two disciplines is the fastest in 2019.
An Old Rivalry
The battle was spectacular and gave the victory to the kitesurfers team, who first managed to place 20 of their participants on the finish line.
Despite this global result, the individual winner of the eight-kilometer race was a windsurfer.
Current world foil windsurfing champion Gonzalo Costa was followed by current PWA World Tour top 10 Sebastian Kördel, relegating the local heroine Gisela Pulido to the third position.
Gisela dominated all the race, but she had to settle for the bronze after a very tight final that was only decided in the last sprint on the finish line placed on the sand.
Nevertheless, the kiters celebrated the global victory in grand fashion.
The Team Battle
With the kiter team crowned as the fastest one, it was time to compete in pairs in a “team battle” that ended up becoming a real party.
With the participants competing in teams of two – windsurfer and kiter – the competition was pretty amusing for the large audience on the beach and the participants in the water.
“It’s been great to compete at home in Tarifa and to be part of this event where these two disciplines that share the wind are twinned,” said Pulido, who teamed up with her rival from the previous day, Gonzalo Costa.
“The competition in pairs has been super fun. Everyone has had a great time!”
Together, they were the fastest tandem with a total time of 12 minutes and 53 seconds.
The fastest rider was windsurfer Ben Van der Steen, the only sailor who managed to finish the race under six minutes.
The fastest kiter was 2015 world champion, Liam Whaley.
The team competition was a success with lots of prestigious pairs, including Marina Alabau and Jerome Cloetens, Blanca Alabau and Liam Whaley, Björn Dunkerbeck and Kiko Roig, Sebastian Kördel and Julia Castro, José Luengo and Eduardo Bellini, among others.
Surprisingly, motorcycling champion and regular windsurfer Dani Pedrosa attended the event to support his friend Björn Dunkerbeck and his windsurfing team.
The organization made a positive balance of the event and is already working on a possible second edition.
Kitesurfing is the fastest sport in Tarifa in 2019. What will it be in 2020?
Red Bull Tarifa 2 | Results
Kitesurfing vs. Windsurfing
1. Kitesurfing
2. Windsurfing
Singles
1. Gonzalo Costa (Windsurf) 13:22:45
2. Sebastian Kördel (Windsurf) 13:25:80
3. Gisela Pulido (Kitesurf) 13:26:80
Pairs
1. Gonzalo Costa (Windsurf) 06:07.30 / Gisela Pulido (Kitesurf) 00:06:46.25 = 12:53.55
2. Ben Van der Steen (Windsurf) 05:59.50 / Jan Marcos Riveras (Kitesurf) 06:57.00 = 12:56.50
3. Rafa Aguado (Windsurf) 07:08.75 / Maximilian Gómez (Kitesurf) 06:41.45 = 13:50.20
Hawkers Trophy
Liam Whaley (Kitesurf)
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