“When the gust hits, you better be ready!” Evan Klijn
Last famous words? Let’s find out!
Another gnarly storm, another day in the life of Evan Klijn, who challenged the elements for a second time within months. This time, he is accompanied by his FLYSURFER teammate Borja, both with only one goal: breaking the current world record in their disciplines.
Leucate in France is known for its punchy offshore wind and lofty updrafts and is one of the world’s best spots to register insane jumps on height-measuring devices. Borja spent the whole day on his hydrofoil looping his beloved ERA 8m, while having a blast.
“Wind wasn’t very stable, gusting up to 45 knots during my first session. I had such a good time kitelooping the ERA before taking a break. When I returned after lunch, getting ready to launch my kite again, suddenly, Evan arrived.”
Evan watched the forecast carefully to hit the spot when the windspeed increased. He was similarly surprised as Borja as he approached the launching area. “What are you doing here? I wouldn’t take the 8m out on a hydrofoil. The wind will be insanely strong in a few minutes!” Evan said. The rest is for the books.
“I had two very good jumps around the 25 m mark, but then hit a magic updraft and reached 30,6 m!”
A world record for Borja, who became the first foiler EVER to jump over 30m. He was flying the 6m @flysurferkiteboarding SONIC4 on 20m lines, riding a board by @mioboards with a foil by @sabfoil featuring a Front W590 + Rear S330H + 83cm Krakek Mast. The jump was measured on a WOO 4.0 device!
This Is Not Over! While a stoked and proud man, walked away, watching his teammate going for the ultimate achievement:
“Man, what a day, or… the most hectic day I ever experienced. The wind was so strong that, in some cases, the physics of kitesurfing started to change. I gave it everything I had mentally and physically, and although we didn’t break the world record by 0.4m, I am still very proud of how it went.”
“Massive thanks to my sponsors for making these trips a reality. It’s a dream come true to chase down the biggest storms you can find to smash a new record.” You are certainly welcome 😉
Congratulations to our riders on the epic achievement. We can’t wait to see what’s next!