2019 Glagla race on lake annecy

In winter, Lake Annecy offers great conditions for stand-up paddleboarding during the absence of sailing activity. And when the weather is clement, the lake is a real water mirror!  I chose the Itiwit 12'6 x 26 stand-up paddleboards because it's the narrowest in the 500 Trekking/Racing range, which makes it the fastest. With its excellent return, it is ideal for this type of body of water. The fact that it's inflatable is a significant advantage: you can pop it in your backpack! It's ideal for transportation and for making your way to the spot. And because I wanted to save energy before the race, I used the Itiwit electric pump that you can plug into your car's cigarette lighter socket. Unfortunately, it only goes up to 15 PSI, so I had to finish with a manual pump to reach the recommended 17 PSI. As for the paddle, there's no doubt about it. The Itiwit 900 carbon paddle was made for racing. Its spoon-shaped blade offers a lot of power. It is ultra-lightweight at only 540 grams, so it's perfect for frequent paddling which means you can go even faster.   For hydration, the Olaian surfing water bag is ideal. It won't hinder your paddling movements in any way, and you won't even notice it thanks to its slimline shape.

In the pop-up village, there's a relaxed atmosphere with people warming up, testing out equipment, a sauna, and background music. All the participants chat and share stories: it's one big family with ages ranging from 9 to 65. I was reunited with several competitors I meet at various stages of the Alpine Lake Tour, including Antoine from the Decathlon Ecully store who was also using the Itiwit (12'6x29) inflatable paddle board. After the briefing and the safety instructions, it's time to get into the water. The 650 participants had to line up on the starting line, which is 400 m wide. The race was about to start! You could cut the tension with a knife, and then, at 10:30, the horn heralded the start of the race!   In little to no time, I got to the first buoy marking a turning point, where there was a real pile-up. I could hear the hard boards banging against one another. I was really glad to have an inflatable paddle board, which, in this kind of "contact" situation, isn't affected by impacts. Several participants fell into the water. The pack started to disperse, groups formed and I positioned myself behind one of them so that I could draft (use the draft created by the board in front to save energy), and therefore keep up a good speed until the last turning point. I decided to break away to finish alone in front, but behind me, the little group hadn't given up and tried to catch me up. I started paddling hard, and sprinted towards the finishing line! I passed the final buoy just behind Antoine. Both of us earned a place on the podium in the "inflatable" category. What a result! .