Top 3 for the male solo competition:
1. Bart de Zwart
2. Peter Bartl
3. Martijn van Deth
Top 3 for the female solo competition:
1. Janneke Smits
2. Joanne Hamilton-Vale
3. Morene Dekker Day 1 – Bart de Zwart, winner of Day 1 reporting
Day 1 – Todd Phillips Checking-inÂ
The interview
TotalSUP: What SUP guys ? Can you introduce yourselves ?
Todd Phillipps :Â I’m an American expat, self-proclaimed “mountain guy” who lives in the Netherlands: Â a very flat, water-logged country. SUP is a way for me to get outside and take advantage of my surroundings.
What’s your past experience with SUP 11 City Tour?
Bart : I have a long relationship with the SUP11-city tour. This will be already my sixth time. The first year I finished 4th after which I felt I could do better if I trained for this specific event. The following three years I won the event and ended up second last year. So this year, I am poised to try and win back the SUP11-city tour title.
In addition for 2014, there is a non-stop version at the same time. After setting the record on the SUP11-city tour non stop run last year with 28 hrs and 21 minutes, I had a look this year and the most elite racers will go for the 5 day race, which is a race with an interesting concept because the time of all 5 days are put together just like the tour de france, which implies that you can only win if you do good during the all 5 days.
Todd :Â I first came to the SUP 11-City Tour in 2012, the year I started to SUP. I had already bisected over 240 km of Sweden by way of the Gota Canal in May of the same year and found that the longer, scenic route was the style of SUP that suited me best.
Why do it again?Â
Bart :Â I am doing this again because I love the challenge and it is a unique race. It is not only a fight against your opponents but also against yourself. You have to go deep and keep going. There si also a lot of tactics and strategy involved which makes it a very exciting race. It is very different from all the other races in the world.Â
Todd :Â I have some unfinished business. I blew out my shoulder in 2012 on the very first day. I didn’t “race my race”. I got caught up in the excitement of the event and the race component and forgot to have fun my way. Also, I really like the people and natural area of Friesland, the northern part of my adopted country.
What’s your goal this year?
Todd :Â To be the person who is having the most fun.
Bart :Â My goal for this year is simple, win it again.
What’s the biggest challenge for you in the race?
Bart :Â The biggest challenge for me in this race is energy management, eating right and having enough energy for enough time to get away and stay away at the right time. Sometimes I need fuel right at the start, sometimes it happens in the last kilometers just like the tour de france bike race.
Todd :Â Forgiving my body for not being ready. My work has had me traveling all over the world; to places where SUP is not an option. Almost all of my training up to this point has been land-based, with only 8 total hours being spent on the water. So the goal is to not do 220 km, but to do 1 km at a time and to make the most of this exceptional experience.
Logistically (equipment, hunger, thirst, fatigue management) what do you pack? how do you prepare?Â
Todd :Â I have supported a lot of adventure and endurance races and have found one thing to be true; the ones at the back of the pack suffer the most. It is an unavoidable reality. So the focus is to enjoy the experience, eat well, drink before I’m thirsty, and keep moving forward. You just have to accept that you will be physically and mentally exhausted and that pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.
Bart : I have to eat the right food during the race. I use a Camelbak with 2 different fluids. I use liquid bike food, a drink made for races which are 1.5 hrs or longer and I use electrolyte drinks to get all the minerals you loose during a long race specially when it is hot. I also eat some solid foods like bars and bananas to have something solid in your stomach just because it feels better. After the race right away, I usually take a protein drink to build up lost muscle. And, at last I am having a good meal every evening.
What’s your board and why?
Bart : The board si simple I use the best board there is for this race a Starboard Sprint, made for flatwater, very efficient and  very fast.
I use a 14’ x 23” Starboard Sprint because it is mostly flat water we are racing here. Compared to a board made for choppy water which is less stable and pretty narrow, it also means it has less drag and is very efficient. In the long run, efficiency is everything. If you paddle for 5 hours and you still have energy left over you can go for a good end sprint and win a race. Or you can try to get away early and keep a very high average speed for a long time which will wear out the competition. The Starboard Sprint is a board like that, it is only slightly faster than a Starboard All star but with long distance races that makes the difference. The right board the right food and drink is key.
Todd :Â Out of my quiver, I chose the Starboard 12’6″ Astro Touring for it’s versatility and touring specific design. I’ll be packing up my kit shortly and heading to the station to catch the train to the starting city of Leeuwarden. Since I don’t have a car, the versatility and impeccable design of this board makes it the most practical for my logistical needs and paddling style.
Are you ready to publish a new video selfie on TotalSUP everyday of the event?
Bart and Todd : Yes, we will give a short update every day after the race and try to get a few pictures from during the race.
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