The Aragon Kitesurfing Championship returns to the beaches of Luceni
The Championship is organized by the La Loteta Kitesurf Club and the Aragonese Sailing Federation and is part of the Cierzo Festival, which will be held on September 23 and 24.
Some 70 kitesurfers from all over Spain will gather in Luceni to compete in the various disciplines of this sport, which will be an Olympic sport starting in Paris 2024.
Every week I inform you about championships from around the world, but this time it's not just any championship, this festival is held at the spot where I sail all year round (La Loteta), and SUELTA LA BARRA is collaborating with the event of the year. Watch this video and imagine sharing the weekend of the season.
The beaches of Luceni are once again the setting for the Aragon Kitesurfing Championship, which will take place on September 23rd and 24th, with an expected attendance of around 70 participants. The winds are blowing in favor of kitesurfing in this territory dominated by the Cierzo wind. In recent years, federation licenses have exploded, and the beaches of Luceni are now the favorite spot for inland kitesurfers. Competitors from Galicia, Madrid, Catalonia, Andalusia, Navarre, the Basque Country, and of course Aragon, will sail the waters of La Loteta. Three judges from the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation will ensure the smooth running of the events.
This is the 11th edition of this Championship, which is part of the Cierzo Festival, organized by the La Loteta Kitesurf Club with the Aragonese Sailing Federation, with the main sponsorship of Ámbar and the support of the Government of Aragon, the Provincial Council of Zaragoza, the Ribera Alta del Ebro Region, and the City Council of Luceni.
In the photo Daniel Eito @the_low_wind_dreamer
The main category remains the Race category, the most crowded and visual, with two modalities: twintip, in which more than 40 kitesurfers will participate, and the hydro-foil modality, a category that will debut as an Olympic sport in Paris 2024. In addition, the Cierzo Festival includes a new modality this year: wingfoil, a new way of flying over the water, but this time propelled by an inflatable wing held directly in the hands.
In the picture Elena and Alex (myself😂)
The weekend of September 23 and 24 promises to be a great one. A wind of just 10 knots (18 km/h) will be enough to fill the beaches of Luceni with kites, where federated athletes can register right up to the day of the competition. The vast majority of competitors will be from Aragon because "the number of kites has grown significantly in recent years; there is now a huge interest in this sport, and there are currently more than 200 federated athletes in Aragon," says Jorge Herrero, director of the Cierzo Festival.
The winners of LLCF2022
Fun and sporty weekend
The spectacle on the water is guaranteed. And on the sand, the Aragon Championship attracts the best brands in the sector, bringing test equipment to showcase the new trends for surfing in 2024. All seasoned with music, DJs, and food trucks, like a true festival: this is how the Cierzo Festival returns. Starting Saturday at 10 a.m. and continuing throughout Sunday, kitesurfers take over the beaches of Luceni. The atmosphere is very family-friendly, with people who share the same hobby and many friends. In total, more than a thousand people gather to participate and watch the Championship rounds.
The economic impact of this is significant: the area's hotel rooms are fully booked for the entire weekend, and the Championship guests must travel to Zaragoza. This is the Aragon Championship, but it's a national Open, so it's open to competitors from outside the Aragon region.
An inland water sport thanks to the Cierzo wind, La Loteta is one of the few inland waterways where this type of event is possible, as this area experiences more than 200 windy days a year. Furthermore, its 6-kilometer length, 2-kilometer width, and 21-kilometer coastline make this reservoir a perfect location for this sport, which has already become an Olympic sport.
With these types of events, Luceni receives a large influx of kitesurfers ready to give it their all with every gust of wind. The quantity and, above all, the air quality are ideal for practicing this sport, as the winds are not gusty, but constant. Therefore, despite being located more than 200 km from the nearest coast, kitesurfing has become one of the most popular water sports on the beaches of Luceni.
The Cierzo wind blows in this area more than 200 days a year. Only established spots like Tarifa and Fuerteventura, both offshore kite spots, can match these figures, making the Ebro Valley one of the regions with the most windy days per year in all of Europe.
And to whet your appetite, this is the rashguard that the 75 participants of LLCF2023 will be wearing this year, an image stolen from the Club Kitesurf La Loteta website.
Oh! You want one? You still have time to sign up. Here's the link.
