GKA Kite World Cup Mykonos, Part 2: Athlete Interviews Before the Heats

The Brazilian Brothers are back on the beach, running into absolute legends ahead of the heats at the GKA Kite World Cup Big Air in Mykonos, Greece. With the commencement ceremony wrapping up and the flags flying high, the stoke is unreal.

Following up on part one, where the brothers caught up with Andrea Principi, Jamie Overbeek, and the British squad, here's what more of the riders and organizers have to say before hitting the water.

Josue San (Baby Shark) and Coach Michael

First up is Brazilian Airush Pro Rider Josue San, better known as Baby Shark. Representing Brazil and living in Prea, he's coming in hot with brand new prototype gear. Josue has been working closely with Alex in Tarifa on these prototypes, and he feels great about the setup. For him, it's the perfect timing, perfect place, perfect wind, and perfect gear. The wind conditions are looking insane, and as they say in Brazil, "a cobra vai fumar" (the snake will smoke).

The brothers also caught up with Michael, Baby Shark's official coach, who's taking him to the next level. Michael saw Josue's creativity and massive potential from day one. They've been working together for seven months now, visiting eight countries, including training stops in the Dominican Republic and Tarifa. The progression is obvious — compared to his performance at Lords of Tram in Barcarès, the difference is night and day. Josue is having fun on the water, throwing massive tricks, and looking incredibly comfortable.

Airush Pro Rider Josue San (aka "Baby Shark")

Baptiste Bourdulous: Event Organizer and Harlem Pro Rider

Baptiste is one of the main people responsible for bringing this epic event to Mykonos: a project that took eight to nine months of brainstorming and preparation. Seeing the first container go down made it all real.

For those unfamiliar with Mykonos, Baptiste breaks down the spot: the island gets a Meltemi wind coming from the north, and the spot is positioned perfectly to create a Venturi effect with the surrounding mountains. The wind gets really pressured and dense, creating a Cape Town effect. They've seen strong days pushing up to 30 meters, and for the event, they're expecting 35 up to 45 knots in the gusts — absolutely perfect conditions for Big Air.

Baptiste isn't just organizing; he's also riding in the event. When asked who he's concerned about in his heats, he pointed out that the overall level is just insanely high. Going up against riders like the Casati brothers and his teammate Finn Flugel means that anyone you fall against is going to be a problem.

Harlem Pro Rider Baptiste Bourdulous

Mikaili Sol and Sofia Monti

Next, the brothers hung out with Duotone Pro Riders Mikaili Sol and Sofia Monti. Mika is throwing down on the twin-tip, while Sofia handles the strapless side of things. Mika had a solid start in France, but admitted it was just too freezing cold to stay in the water for long. She's super happy that Mykonos is bringing the warmth.

The goal for Mika is simple: win the whole thing. The prize purse is sitting at 60,000 euros, with equal pay for men and women. They're paying out the top three deep, and the winner takes home a massive 18 grand — which goes fast in Mykonos.

Sofia's game plan and advice for Mika is to go huge, go with power, and go far. The conditions are looking awesome for Mika's signature aggressive laybacks, contra boogies, and board-offs. They're hoping for a sweet spot of 32 to 35 knots, maybe pushing up to 38 knots for the perfect show.

Interviewing Mikaili Sol and Sofia Monti, Duotone Pro Riders

Alessa Mensch: Chasing a World Title

The brothers also caught up with Alessa Mensch, fresh off her win at Lords of Tram and coming into Mykonos at the very top of the rankings. After multiple in-depth episodes with her on the channel covering her story and her gear, this conversation focused on what's in front of her, and what's at stake.

Alessa described the Lords of Tram win as magical. It was literally the place where everything started for her — her first international competition happened there four years ago — and now winning the same event four years later, in crazy cold, hectic, super strong gusty conditions, was a dream come true. She admitted she hadn't even dared to dream of winning Lords of Tram, but it happened, and she's still on the moon.

Her game plan for Mykonos hasn't changed much — maybe stepped up a little. Two months of really good training have her board-offs dialed in, and she's hoping to showcase some of that here. The judging criteria is the same as Lords of Tram, and the style she wants to bring is core to who she is as a rider: go huge, go with power, go far. With conditions looking awesome, the table is set for her signature aggressive laybacks, contra boogies, and the board-offs she's been working on.

The stakes couldn't be higher. Alessa is coming into Mykonos with the Lords of Tram win in her pocket, and if she takes this event, she'll be crowned the next women's Big Air World Champion.

Alessa Mensch winning Lords of Tram with Naish

Finn Flügel

Finally, the brothers also caught up with Duotone Pro Rider Finn Flügel from Germany. Finn is a Freestyle World Champion who's now pushing hard into Big Air. Coming off an amazing competition in France, he's feeling ready and is just looking to have fun on the water.

When asked about his secret to his massive board spins and flips, Finn explained that not focusing too much on just one discipline keeps his mind free, allowing him to pull off all the highly technical tricks before his heats.

Finn Flugel, Duotone Pro Rider