Competition News

As we were still hot from yesterday's task, the organization set up a 95 km task. Firstly going 25km to the west, returning to the easterly turnpoint, and then again to the west with the goal at a ridge behind the takeoff. The cylinders have a big radius, so there are many options for the routes.

The air start turned out to be more difficult than expected, as the conditions were very cyclic and there was already some east wind. The first leg was on the same route as yesterday. But today it was important to have enough altitude. Low in the valley was even more wind and the thermals were broken at times. Higher up, the wind was pushing us nicely and the thermals were more organized as well. Unfortunately, Henri went too low on his route and had to land on the slope. The ground of the valley was full of trees, landing there was no option. He managed to hike up the mountain and launch again. But hiking up a south-facing slope in Gourdon is quite some work.

The rest of us managed to go to the first turnpoint with quite some east wind. The problems only started after we turned into wind to return to the takeoff area. Depending on the region we had 15-25 km/h headwind. High up it was not turbulent, but it slowed us down for sure. The organizers decided to stop the task, as the conditions are flyable, but not safe to race. Without pressure, most pilots could take their time and reach back to Gourdon in XC style.

After the landing, the Swiss team had to pick up Henri, as his adventure led him to other remote areas. We then went for a little swim in the river and another dinner together.

Apart from some airspace violations, there were two serious accidents. We hope that both pilots will recover quickly.

Ranking:

Roger: 36
Jerome: 41
Benjamin: 68
Henri: 79