GKA Mykonos, Part 4: The Day Before Game Day

The Brazilian Brothers just finished editing videos, and the wind is absolutely howling. The trees are moving, and it has to be blowing 35 to 40 knots. Word on the street is that the pros are already on the water, throwing it down and warming up for tomorrow's competition. There's 60,000 Euros on the line, so these guys are livid to get out there and win this competition.

After finding a roadblock and walking through some grass past sunbathing locals, the brothers make it to the event site. The scenery is very different than yesterday — the wind is cranking, and there are so many people out on the water. It's not a flat water spot. There's definitely a lot of chop and some waves, and people are going massive. The judges are looking for a lot of technicality, height, and power.

Photo credit: GKA Kite World Tour

Andy Troy on Filming the Action

On the beach, the brothers run into Andy Troy, a professional kite cinematographer and photographer known for his awesome work with Stig and Giel, including their recent Patagonia documentary. Andy is stoked for the GKA World Championship in Mykonos, noting that the next two days are going to be really good. He's set up filming from the hill. The wind is pretty light and gusty at the moment, but he's following Jamie Overbeek, the Kitemana crew, and the Porsche team. He expects tomorrow to be better and stronger, and notes that Jamie is definitely a favorite going into the event.

Ralf Groesel and Brainchild Kites

Next up is Ralf Groesel, the founder of Brainchild. Ralf shares some massive news: they've just opened a brand new manufacturing facility, operating straight from the laboratory. It's a major milestone, creating the most modern, lean production facility for kites and wings in the world. He even brought some prototypes to the beach, though they're keeping them off-camera for now. They had a great opening ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, and everyone is incredibly proud of what they've achieved in such a short time.

Looking at the competition, Ralf predicts a kite surfing war over the next couple of days. It's going to be very windy, the prize money is high, and the riders are going to fight for it. He expects it to be one of the most epic shows of the year and gives a big shoutout to the local kite school and Baptiste for making the event happen.

Sean Overbeek on Jamie's Mindset

The brothers catch up with Sean Overbeek, Vantage kite designer and Jamie Overbeek's brother. Sean explains that the conditions are rather gusty and unpredictable compared to their other training days. There are magic gusts that you can only feel once you're in the air, making it challenging but great for the competitors to train in harder conditions.

When asked about Jamie's headspace, Sean says he has never seen him this chill for a competition. Jamie is just going with the flow. He struggled a bit when the wind was light, but once it picked up, he was way more controlled and floaty than the other riders. Sean is highly confident Jamie is going to put on a show and be a serious contender for the world title.

Luca Ceruti's Take on the Spot

Luca Ceruti, the South African FlySurfer rider from Cape Town, shares his thoughts on his first time riding in Mykonos. He says the conditions are absolutely unique and twice as strong as Cape Town. He was powered up on a 6m Sonic today and doesn't even know what people will be riding tomorrow. He'd love to bust out a foil kite for the competition, but feels it might be a little too strong — if it gets too windy, you get slack in the lines and take really big crashes.

Luca also points out a major hazard: downwind of the event site are gnarly power cables. If you don't jump 300 meters out to the takeoff spot, you could land in the huts, the accommodation, or hit the power lines — which would cut off electricity to the whole town.

Photo credit: GKA Kite World Tour

Josue San (Baby Shark) Testing Gear

Josue San, also known as Baby Shark, just came off the water after riding a 10m Airush kite in 30 knots. He says it was fun but not the wind he wanted, which might have made people think he wasn't riding well. He's saving it for tomorrow. He was out testing a kite he made with Alex Pastor, noting it needs some tweaks but everything is on point. He promises tomorrow will be crazy, stating, "a cobra vai fumar" (the snake will smoke).

Kai Lani Friedrich and Francesca Maini

Kai Lani Friedrich, an upcoming 16-year-old rider for F-One, is out there representing women's power. She was riding the F-One Trigger and said the session was really good. It was a little gusty, but insane with the Trigger. This is her first big competition after doing the youth event in Tarifa last year. Her goal for tomorrow is simply to land her tricks, give her best on the water, and have fun.

Francesca Maini, representing Great Britain and North Kiteboarding, also had a great session. It was gusty, and she only planned to go out for 30 minutes but ended up staying out a lot longer. Her game plan for tomorrow is to jump and not crash. She's hoping to replicate a massive kite loop with an added rotation that she landed in qualifying, which earned her the highest score.

Adrian Kerr's Competition Breakdown

Finally, the brothers speak with Adrian Kerr from Kitesurfing 365 and Portrait Kite. Adrian notes this is an interesting spot because it wasn't on the circuit for a long time, even though people have windsurfed and kited here for years. Ralf Groesel even tested Brainchild kites here three years ago. Riders are territorial and don't usually come here as part of their regular training — similar to Hawaii — but they'll turn up for every competition here because of the warm water, great winds, and amazing vibes.

Photo credit: GKA Kite World Tour

Adrian highlights the massive 60,000 Euro prize pool. He points out that 18,000 Euros for a win is life-changing money in the kite surfing industry, since riders aren't on big salaries. Looking at the fleets, he says Mikaili Sol is the woman to beat, and the fact that she got second recently is crazy for her given her dominance. On the men's side, Jamie Overbeek wants to right the wrong of 2024 after a gear failure and broken line crash rocked him. Finn is the ultimate competitor, aiming to be a 2025 freestyle and 2026 big air champion. You also can't write off Leonardo. Adrian wraps up by giving a shoutout to Mike MacDonald and the Kite League for giving young riders the opportunities to break into the strongholds of the top guys.

Ready for Game Day

As the sun goes down, most of the pros have packed up and gone home. Tomorrow is looking absolutely amazing with 40 knots in the forecast. All the best riders in the world are locked in and ready to compete for that 60,000 Euro prize.

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