F-ONE CWC Dominates GWA
Issue 8 / Mon 24th May, 2021
The Global Wingsports Association kicked off the 2021 season in Luecate recently. The Mondial Du Vent hosted the event, and Titouan Galea dominated proceedings on the new F-ONE Strike CWC wing; Jack Galloway gets the details...
It’s thrilling to see a wingfoil event come back to centre stage after all of the recent restrictions on travel. The GWA put on a completely Covid secure event, and we’re delighted to be able to report on not only what went down in the event but also a behind the scenes look at the F-ONE team training in Leucate.
With the first three days of the Wingfoil World Cup in Leucate having very light wind, it was a race of equipment as much as it was skill. The GWA has chosen two disciplines in wing foil for competition: surf-freestyle and surf-race. In surf-race, athletes are to get round a pre-set course in the fastest time possible, much like sailors would on a sailing course.
The light wind made this a real challenge for the competitors. Wing size selection was essential as riders wanted as much power as possible without the wing being too heavy. And in the downwind leg of the race, the wind was so light that it was quicker to ‘free fly’ the wing and pump to the downwind mark rather than gybe their way down the course. Imagine the leg burn of doing that in a competitive race!
As is so often the case, Titouan Galea won the surf-race discipline. There is a tremendous amount of skill going into that win. However, we think F-ONE’s new Strike CWC gave him a helping hand and here’s why:
CWC stands for ‘Compact Wing Concept’; it’s the world’s first three strut design wing. The idea behind it is that you can get more surface area into a compact wing shape that retains its rigidity. Before now, we’ve only seen battens on wings, not inflatable struts.
As quoted by F-ONE - “The extra struts increase the wing’s surface without increasing the leading edge’s length. The trailing edge is completely controlled, offering a lot of rigidity in the canopy and a reduced aspect ratio. As we have been able to keep the 5m’s span, we have been able to keep the same leading edge’s diameter and offer thinner wingtips for less weight and more manoeuvrability.”
Here at Tonic, we’re impressed that the 6m Strike CWC has the same wingspan as the 5m Strike. It essentially means that you’ll have more power to get up on the plane without sacrificing the short wingspan that stops you ‘tripping up’ over the foil when getting going. Titouan would have used these characteristics to help him get up on the foil earlier, and we’re sure that a smaller wingspan in comparison to other brands would’ve assisted in his manoeuvres.
On the fourth and fifth day of the event, the winds finally came in pumping. This provided a spectacular show for the weekend, not that spectators were allowed, but make sure you watch the highlight clips! It was clear that the level has increased yet again with all of the training that the riders have been doing while vents were on hold.
In the surf-freestyle discipline, riders in both men’s and women’s were going huge with a massive range of tricks being landed. For the women, it was Bowien van der Linden’s style and consistency that got her the win. Again, Titouan Galea took the win, this time in freestyle, with outrageous manoeuvres consistently going bigger than his closest rival, Balz Müller. Titouan even had to change his wing mid-heat after putting his foil straight through his sail on a backflip attempt. Finally, it was Olivia Piana who won the surf-race women’s discipline with her tactical and rapid pace around the course.
GWA Wingfoil World Cup Leucate 2021 at Mondial du Vent | Surf-Freestyle podium:
MEN:
1. Titouan Galea (NCL)
2. Balz Müller (CHE)
3. Riccardo Zorzi (ITA)
WOMEN:
1. Bowien van der Linden (NLD)
2. Olivia Piana (FRA)
3. Flora Artzner (FRA)
GWA Wingfoil World Cup Leucate 2021 at Mondial du Vent | Surf-Race podium:
MEN:
1. Titouan Galea (NCL)
2. Balz Müller (CHE)
3. Camille Bouyer (FRA)
WOMEN:
1. Olivia Piana (FRA)
2. Flora Artzner (FRA)
3. Bowien van der Linden (NLD)
Videos
By Jack Galloway
