L’Equipe Tricolore - France has it all!

The 2008 windsurfing season started in March with the first PWA event in Cabo Verde, and will soon be in full swing with further pro contests all around the globe, amateur events like the Défi Wind in France and, last but not least, the Olympic Games, where windsurfers of the brand new RS:X class will fight for the medals. At each of these events, the main windsurfing nations like Germany, France, UK, USA and Spain will be represented by a team of top windsurfers from all over the country. Let’s take a closer look at the French windsurfing scene and the composition of their national team.

Windsurfing in France, North vs. South
The French are “wind-maniacs”. Need a proof? Just go and watch the Mondial du Vent Festival in Leucate together with other 160,000 visitors, or take part in the amazing Défi Wind Race, where this year 800 windsurfers at once in the same race will challenge the strong Tramontagne on a long distance race of at least 15 km.

In France, windsurfing is everywhere, whereby two distinct regions can be defined. The north and west coast of France, where the wind is mostly caused by winter low-pressure, is well known for its good wave sailing conditions. Wissant in the North, Siouville in the Cotentin and the Crozon and Quiberon peninsulas are some of the top French, and European, wave spots. The same counts for the legendary area of La Torche, featuring the most famous spot for big wave windsurfing in France, and L'île aux Vaches, where top sailors like Antoine Albeau and Julien Taboulet were riding an epic big swell this winter and gave a proof of their talent.

Team Captain: Antoine Albeau
Born at Ile de Ré on the French south west coast, Antoine Albeau is a windsurfing legend and uncontested leader of the French windsurfing scene. He is used to ride huge, powerful waves, is the current speed sailing world record holder and gained multiple world champion titles in almost every single windsurfing discipline. Besides his excellent technical skills in windsurfing, his experience and versatility make Antoine a perfect captain for the French National Team. Antoine, nicknamed the “French Elephant” because of his impressive size of 1,85m, his body weight of 100 kilos and his powerful natural strength, is a professional sportsman, too. Really, nobody will doubt his leadership in the team!

Every rider embodies a special role in the team
The rest of the team France is composed of a variety of talented windsurfers, each with a unique style and a favourite discipline.

Let's start with the young guns: Thomas Traversa from Aubagne – near Marseille – is one of the world’s top freestylers and top wave rider. He has a unique and fluid style, and he is a dreaded competitor, even though he prefers travelling and exploring new waves to competing. Another candidate is Julien Taboulet, rock’n'roll-no-fear-attitude. Native to Leucate, where strong wind and flat water prevails, he nevertheless became one of the world’s best wave sailors.

Concerning the more experienced wave riders of the team, we have to mention Xavier Huart. He has been following the PWA tour for years, and he is particularly feared in port-tack rough conditions. The bigger the waves, the higher he will go! Another good world cup competitor, low profile but nevertheless an all-round wave windsurfer is Yann Sorlut, who is currently living on the famous wave spot of Carro in the south of France.

Concerning the racing disciplines, Cyril Moussilmani and Julien Quentel are trying to follow their leader Antoine Albeau. Cyril, coming from Marseille where he does windsurfing all the year, is a good windsurfer in all disciplines, and was the second best French on the PWA slalom ranking in 2007. Julien Quentel is a slalom young gun, native to the French island of Guadeloupe, and currently training in the National Sail school of Quiberon, on the French west coast. Last but not least, Valérie Ghibaudo, former French champion, who made an impressive come back in 2007 by taking the second place of the women PWA slalom. This year she will go for the title!

Finally, Faustine Merret from Brest and Julien Bontemps from Nantes will represent France at the 2008 Olympic Games. Faustine Merret already won the Gold Medal in Athens 2004 and will fight to defend her title in Beijing.

Training and competing at home
Unlike professional windsurfers from other northern European countries, the French windsurfers are able to complete most of their training in France. That’s why they usually become emblematic figures of their native region: Antoine Albeau for Ile de Ré, Julien Taboulet for Leucate, Cyril Moussilmani for Marseille.

French windsurfers can not only train at home under steady conditions, they can also take part in one of the many windsurfing competitions: French tour AFF/FFV (wave and slalom), the Master of Speed Event, the Mondial du Vent festival, the Defi Wind race, French sailing Olympic Week… France has it all and the national team France is prepared for the upcoming major sport events!

Major titles won by French competitors
The list of the French world titles starts in 1984, with a first World Champion title for Nathalie Lelievre. In 1994 a certain Antoine Albeau won his first world titles (slalom, racing and overall), then, in 1996, Patrice Belbeoch'h became the only French to win a wave world championship. "Nowadays, the list is inevitably growing thanks to Antoine Albeau's titles, and undoubtedly this will spur the rest of the team to conquer more titles!

2008: Antoine Albeau, Speed sailing world record holder (49,09 knots)
2007: Antoine Albeau, PWA slalom world champion
2007: Antoine Albeau, Speed world champion
2007: Antoine Albeau, Formula windsurfing world champion
2006: Antoine Albeau, PWA slalom world champion
2006: Antoine Albeau, PWA supercross world champion
2005: Antoine Albeau, Formula windsurfing world champion
2004: Antoine Albeau, Formula windsurfing world champion
2001: Antoine Albeau, PWA freestyle world champion
1997: Nathalie Le Lievre, PWA overall champion
1996: Patrice Belbeoch'h, PWA wave world champion
1996: Nathalie Le Lievre, PWA overall world champion
1995: Nathalie Le Lievre, PWA overall world champion
1994: Antoine Albeau, triple world champion (slalom, racing and overall)
1985: Nathalie Le Lievre, Overall world champion
1984: Nathalie Le Lievre, Overall world champion

Links
The association: PWA