ANTOINE ALBEAU - THE X FACTOR

A perfect four firsts from four races gave Antoine Albeau a decisive slalom victory at the 2018 PWA Fuerteventura Grand Slam. Antoine’s track record in Sotavento’s choppy waters is phenomenal, winning eleven out of the last twelve years, a unique record from the twenty-four time world champion! John Carter went round the pits to ask his rivals and the big man himself what gives him the edge over his peers at this legendary location!

Words  John Carter, Matteo Iachino, Taty Frans, Pierre Mortefon, Arnon Dagan, Jordy Vonk, John Skye, Kurosh Kiani, Antoine Albeau //  Photos  John Carter

This feature originally appeared in the October 2018 issue of Windsurf Magazine

MATTEO IACHINO

Somehow Albeau has won so many times in Fuerteventura. As I have said before, I think the difference of speed between the rest of the sailors these days is less. He was amazing as usual but the rest of us made many mistakes. So I guess that was the real difference. On the first day Questel crashed in front of me and I had to avoid him. I stopped and Albeau overtook. In the second final I went over early in the final with two other guys. There were only five guys in the final which made it much easier for Antoine. When he builds confidence like that he is hard to stop. For a sportsman this is the best thing that can happen. Everything comes easier. You are free with your mind and the pressure is off. When I had two bad results, I could not afford to take too many chances so settled for seconds in the final two rounds. Our mistakes made it easier for him this year. I actually think I have seen him sail better here! He did not even have to do his best. I heard he didn’t even get his hair wet in the four rounds! We let him have it. The fight through the year has been amazing. I was happy to win in Portugal in strong winds. I have never won a strong wind event against him before. I am happy with second after my mistakes on the first day. It was the best I could do and sets us up for a showdown in Sylt!

“I heard he didn’t even get his hair wet in the four rounds!”

TATY FRANS
I think it is just all the years of experience he has on the rest of us. He is actually the most relaxed guy. When the pressure is on he knows better than anyone how to deal with it. From what I see most other guys can’t handle the pressure as well as Antoine. They crumble or just start panicking with equipment and try and change fins and masts. He just sticks with what he knows. He is always so chilled I don’t know how he does it. He has the mental side down. In the end you can be as fast as you like but without the confidence you will suffer. Antoine has all the racing skills combined with more and that is what makes him a winner!

“He is always so chilled.”

PIERRE MORTEFON
Having his family around relaxes him. He works it to his advantage. I think he has been to Fuerteventura 28 times. I would say he is full of experience and nobody knows this spot better than him. I have been here for six or seven years. He knows every single piece of chop and knows how to react in all conditions. He is one of the biggest guys so maybe we have to work a bit on our weight. He knows everything and he also has the confidence from all his past victories. It is hard to beat him. I have had a few victories when everything has gone well. Then it is much easier to win. That is what he had in Fuerteventura this week. Everything went his way and he just went day after day and race after race nice and easy. Maybe if we did eight more races he could have won them all!

“Having his family around relaxes him.”

 

ARNON DAGAN

More than anywhere else, Sotavento is built for him. He can use his bodyweight to get the edge in speed and nobody can really challenge him. There will be people with the same speed at times, but nobody is quicker consistently. That is it. He does not make mistakes. I have extremely high speed, I think I am one of the fastest, but I make mistakes and that is what costs me. I want to believe it is a mental thing with me. I am sure my skill is good enough but I will let somebody else answer that one. I think I have the skill but Antoine has so much skill, plus he seems so relaxed. His mental state is perfect. He is not hungry. He has done it all so he uses this relaxed approach to events to his advantage.

“He does not make mistakes.”

JORDY VONK

It is unbelievable how Antoine stays at the top, especially in Fuerteventura. Just before this event we checked his record and he has won eleven times in the last twelve years! It is hard to say what his secret is. For me he won because he was the fastest. I had one good start in the final right on top of him and he just took metres on me like it was nothing! I knew I was not the fastest, I have great average speed but not good top speed; he was just so much faster! That was the reason he could dominate like this. He has the afterburner switch! I still have a few years to get one of those! He has twenty-four world titles, so he has the experience and the skills. At the end of the day he is an exceptionally good sailor.

“He has the afterburner switch!”

KUROSH KIANI

I believe he is enormously talented plus he has the experience. He also has the knowledge based on that experience to be ahead of the rest of the pack. He is an amazing racer and his gear works in all kinds of conditions. He has all the elements that it takes to be a world champion. Matteo is close but he has less experience. He is a fast learner so he will be up there as well. Racing is all about the knowledge and tuning your gear to make it work for you! He has everything plus he is confident. If you are confident then you race better! He was in the zone for sure this year, sometimes it is like this.

“He has everything plus he is confident.”

JOHN SKYE

I think deep down he is just a phenomenal all-round windsurfer. From what I see from the outside is that there are a lot of good slalom sailors, but what really stands out with Antoine, and a fact people forget sometimes, is that he has been a freestyle world champion and rips in waves! I lost to him in a heat in Sylt years ago and he destroyed me. When it gets rough he has all of these skills to draw upon. He is also super strong. He is, in my books, the perfect build for slalom. Big, heavy and more than anything just strong. His gear is tuned perfectly and everything is designed for him. I know at RRD a lot of thought will go into not just making the best board but also making the best board that will work for Antoine to win the world title. For sure Neil Pryde are the same. If they have a sail that works for a lightweight guy or a sail that works better for a bigger guy, then they will go with the one that Antoine wants! He has his gear, he is super strong and super talented. Oh and he is also the fastest guy in the world! Antoine is so much more in control. Everyone else is pushing so hard to get there. One final he had a terrible start and was about 6th round the first mark but then he throttled it down and took them all. I have only ever seen Bjorn do that, and that was a long time ago! It makes it a lot easier mentally! I would not know as I have never been in that position! He is more relaxed and that makes it easier to make the right decisions!

“Antoine is so much more in control.”

ANTOINE ALBEAU

It is even better for me to have my family here. I want to see them and it helps me relax. I love having them with me. I have worked really hard with Neil Pryde and RRD on my equipment over the last few years. I think we have the best sails and one of the best boards as well. Everything is working together very nicely and when you have the speed you just make sure you don’t make mistakes. I love the technical sailing in Fuerteventura when it is rough conditions. I am very happy after this event because I did not fall in once! In Portugal I had the same gear but I guess I did not feel
as confident. I love Fuerteventura for slalom, it suits my style.

“I love Fuerteventura for slalom, it suits my style.”

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