My 1st World Cup ... by Jonas LAPLACE
Wednesday, March 15th 2023: departure from Montreal for the 1st stage of this year's world cup, but also my 1st participation at this level of competition! It's a long trip: 2 stopovers in New York and Sao Paulo, before landing in Rio to continue on a 7h night drive with coach Erwan (DIDRICHE) before finally reaching Castelo.
The next day, Friday, is a rest day, followed by a training round on Saturday, and the first round of the race on Sunday! On paper, this PWC did not suggest a very high level of competition, but the next 6 rounds proved the opposite! Many pilots were pulling the group forward, attacking very low on an optimized line. A very aggressive flying style, which corresponds perfectly to the very special conditions of Castelo: flat land in blue, few clouds, very short thermal cycles, and lines to be negotiated perfectly to stay in the game.
Each round is completed by 80% of the pilots in a very short time. So it's quite simple: to have a chance to reach the top 50 I had to score at least 950 points! Let's take an example: the 1st round of 77 kms which took place mostly in the plain with a beautiful blue sky without clouds. I want to finish this 1st round in the World Cup, so to guarantee a finish, I don't attack and I do my best to keep the pace with the leading group. But with these very short thermal cycles, the smallest mistake is very expensive! By ensuring the return to the goal, and with only 15 min delay on the 1st I am classified 77th with 890 points.
The 4th run of 81 kms convinces me to change for a flying style that I tested on the first 3 runs: push forward, and attack with the group even if it means being a bit low all the time. It's not an easy style because you end up flying low all the time, close to ground level hoping to find good thermals that would allow you to break the control of the pilots who stayed behind higher up. I manage to apply this pattern correctly for the whole beginning of the flight, but at 15 kms from the goal I decide to leave with Erwan for a rather daring attack on the line. The group doesn't follow us... This attack was not opportune at this moment, in a valley not very favourable to low hang-ups, and which will see me landing at 9 kms from the goal. Big frustration at the time, but after analyzing the track and discussing with other pilots, I understood my mistakes and I learned a lot from them. So it's finally very beneficial!
I was not too concerned about this first World Cup experience, and I went with the objectives of learning as much as possible, developing my flying strategy and tactics, and enjoying flying in this beautiful landscape. Afterwards, I can see that all these objectives have been reached.
Unfortunately, a serious accident occurred and affected all the pilots during this competition. This accident reminds us how fragile we are in this sport. A big thought for you Dan ...
With 4 rounds completed out of 6 run between 80 and 105 kms, I finished 105th. The result isn't what I expected, but I understood and learned a lot in terms of strategy and flight tactics. Now I have to work on all these aspects for the next PWC which will take place in Pegalajar (Spain) next May.
