Interview: Antoine Albau

The Evolving Windsurfing Market, Project Zephir, Competitions

Antoine Albeau gave an interview to Philipp Kümpel in Tenerife, in which the French veteran spoke very candidly. Since stepping away from the World Cup circuit, Albeau has been running his surf school on Île de Ré and competing in select events. Albeau was on the Canary Island to host a windsurfing clinic.

The Windsurfing Market in Transition
“I think the main problem is that there are too many brands. Wing surfing is currently taking a lot away from windsurfing and kitesurfing. Back home on the Atlantic coast, I see 50 wings, three windsurfers, and three or four kitesurfers. Everyone wants to try wing surfing,” Albeau observed.

Antoine now offers more wing courses than windsurfing courses at his center, which employs ten instructors. One advantage of winging is that the sport is easier to learn and the equipment takes up little space during transport. Antoine has also noticed that the proportion of women is higher in winging compared to windsurfing at his surf center.

Antoine Albeau wing foiling in Tenerife. At his surf center in France, more wing surfing lessons are now being booked than windsurfing lessons. He believes the learning curve for wing surfing is steeper than for windsurfing.

More Speed: Project Zephir
With the high-tech project ‘Zephir’ (Link to the DAILY DOSE article), Albeau aims to take speed windsurfing to a whole new level. Things had been quiet around the project for a while, but now Antoine has found a sponsor to fund further engineering work. Albeau expects results soon. He has been working with Robert Stroj, the sailmaker at Neilpryde, for 15 years on an asymmetrical speed sail, and a special suit is also designed to boost speed. A lot of brainpower is also being put into the development of boards and foils. However, Antoine did not want to go into detail here.

For environmental reasons, Albeau is relying as much as possible on recycled materials for the Zephir project; carbon should be avoided whenever possible. He also wants to have the foils and boards manufactured in France or Europe rather than in China, which he sees as a challenge due to the costs involved.

Antoine Albeau in El Médano

Competitions
“I want to stay at the top of my game,” explains 51-year-old Albeau, as he doesn't want to lag behind at the Défi Wind and possibly at the One Hour Classic on Lake Garda. He will also participate as a runner in the ‘Marathon for All,’ which will take place immediately following the Olympic Marathon in Paris. 40,000 participants are expected at this event.

Slalom X
The new Slalom X (Link to the discipline’s introduction on DAILY DOSE), which also incorporates jumps over obstacles, is something Albeau finds extremely exciting. Antoine would love to compete in Fuerteventura, but since the event coincides with peak season at his windsurfing center, he won’t be able to attend.

An Approachable Champion: Albeau also shares his knowledge through training sessions.

If you'd like to watch the full interview that Philipp Kümpel conducted for the Windlounge surf shop's YouTube channel, you'll find it at the end of this article.

February 26, 2024 © DAILY DOSE | Text: Christian Tillmanns, Philipp Kümpel | Fotos/Grafiken: Philipp Kümpel | translation: DE