French ripper Loick Lesauvage windsurfed in extreme wind conditions on port tack and starboard tack from January till April 2018. He gets better and better and is about to rotate into a Push loop Forward. He sticks double Forwards, perfectly tweaked Push loops, brilliant Back loops or clean frontside Wave 360s. We had a chat with the young Frenchman.

Interview with Loick Lesauvage:

Continentseven: Which spots are in the video?
Loick Lesauvage: I’m lucky enough to be able to windsurf with both port tack condition at Carro and starboard condition at La Coudoulière depending on the direction of the wind. Generally I windsurf a lot more in starboard tack conditions, but the most important point for me is to be as versatile as possible.

Continentseven: How many sessions did you score from January till April?
Loick Lesauvage: In port tack conditions I had around 5 sessions since January, while in starboard tack conditions I windsurfed about 11 times.

Continentseven: What are the moves you are working on at the moment?
Loick Lesauvage: It depends on the waves and conditions. In general, I am working mostly on jumps during my training session. On one side my goal is to land all the basics moves like  Back loop, Push loop, late Forward loop and, on the other side I’m working on the double Foward. The double Forward has become an essential move in competition because more and more riders are doing it and it also provides more points in competition. This move can actually make the difference in a heat.
In wave riding I am focusing more on improving my style, my verticality, my aggressivity while trying to be as fluid as possible. I will also work on my frontside 360°, Aerial and Goiter techniques. But it all depends on what kind of waves there are.
Overall, the move I am training the most is the double Forward. I have also started to learn how to initiate the Push Forward, learning to know when to start the Forward when the Push loop is completed. I know that with work and patience, I will be able to land it properly.

Continentseven: You are on a really high level in windsurfing now? Do you enjoy windsurfing more the better you get?
Loick Lesauvage: Thank you, but I have a lot more work ahead of me. The more I control a move and the more I do it with pleasure, the easier and better it gets. When I finally manage to do a move properly it’s all I want to do again and again. Unfortunately I can not neglect and forget to work on the other moves that I am less good at or moves that I’m not comfortable doing. So I try to find a balance in my training, even when the conditions are average. To be complete I need to work on everything.

Continentseven: What’s the sensation of windsurfing for you?
Loick Lesauvage: It’s hard to describe it. It’s like a part of me. It helps me to find a balance, to build self-confidence. It allows me to have the respect for myself as well as others.

Continentseven: You windsurfed in Ho’okipa several times, you sailed on the Canaries: If you compare your homespots with the famous places all around the globe, how would you rate them from 1 to 10?
Loick Lesauvage: Ho’okipa and Pozo are both very special spots for me. Ho’okipa is a place that I love. It’s a place where you have to learn to read waves to be able to take the most beautiful ones. The waves can sometimes be huge; there is the light wind, the closed channel and that’s another dimension, a challenge. I feel smaller in front of the elements there. It’s different compared with my home spots. At home the wind is strong and can sometimes be violent. It changes in direction. At Pozo it’s easier to navigate in strong conditions. The spot is very onshore, but it is a great port tack place to progress in jumps. It would be perfect if it has sand instead of pebbles. 

©continentseven 2018

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