At over fifty kilometres per hour, the riders are pulled against the stern wave of a boat by a cable winch and shoot themselves high above it. New rotations are created time and time again - with absolutely no wind. Last weekend, eleven men and four women competed against each other in the tow-in on Lake Geneva.
Tow-in as a competition format
Points can be collected for victory in up to four different categories:
"Combo", "Regular", "Style" and "Send it" are the names of the different categories.
The aim is not to always perform the same trick, but to add variety. First of all, different manoeuvres should be combined, then the riders have to jump off in regular stance, then as much style as possible should be shown, and finally the riders are asked to jump off something crazy, as high as possible, regardless of whether it ends in a crash or not.
The rotations and dismounts: spectacular - and sometimes right up close to the audience.
The picture gallery above speaks for itself. Click through.
Lisa Kloster from Germany secured first place in the women's event in Geneva. Her new signature move in the tow-in: the shaka. This move made the decisive difference.
In the men's category, it was Sam Esteve from France who impressed the judges the most. His personal highlight: this twisted, one-handed burner 360, which he performed in the "Style" category:
Results Tow-in EFPT Geneva 2023
Ladies
1. Lisa Kloster
2 Maaike Huvermann
3. Lucie Honegger
Gents
1. Sam Esteve
2. Lennart Neubauer
3. Steven van Broeckhoven
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