My way to Extreme Kayak European Cup Champion

In this blog post, I tell you what the Extreme Kayaking European Cup is about and how I managed to win it! Cool events, crazy parties, it was an amazing season!

The first part of the European Cup was the Bzhuzha race in Georgia. I went there with no expectations and I got surprised in a very positive way! Super good weather, a beautiful river, very friendly people and really good food. The event itself took place on two days and there were 4 different races: Boater Cross, Slalom Race, Long Race and Sprint Finals.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the Bzhuzha Race and on top of that I managed to win this race!
That was a big party with the russians…

Un peu de racing avec les Francais. The next race was the Outdoormix Festival in France. Good mood, good concerts and good food…. Well, maybe not so good food. If you are Italian you may not like the pasta very much. Matthi, our italian guy, was absolutely not happy with the pasta. But thats ok with me, because I could finish his meal;)

Also in this event you had to do several races to win the overall ranking. It was super close! The finals decided everything. Eric Deguil, Nico Caussanel, Jonas LeMorvan and me were fighting for the podium. In the end Eric was 1st, I got second and Jonas third.

Adesso un bello tempo con gli italiani in Alto Adige (South Tyrol)! Finally Matthi can enjoy his good pasta. But he is not that much of an Italian as he might think: One day he asked an Italian something in italian and that guy answered him in english:P
King of the Alps – not only part of the European Cup, but also European Championship 2018. A lot of people are going there, this year they had over 150 particpants! The Marathon mass start is unique, 100 men starting at the same time, fighting to be in the first 20 to get into the finals. The final course at King of the Alps is amazing! A short class IV lead in and then a big rapid in the end.
Sometimes at races you have to wait for a long time until you can do your run but not at King of the Alps. Mass start in the morning with a 20 minutes marathon. Then Team-Race at the final course, directly after that the quarter finals start. Followed by semi finals and finals. Tough day, but keep some energy for the party;)

The Ekstremsport Veko is in Norway end of June, so the perfect time to be in Norway if it comes to creeking. Thats why I was really looking forward to this trip. Unfortunately we did not have that much water there this year, so we had not much different sections with water. Thats why we spent lots of time at the race course for some training. It was definitely worth it! I think at the Veko i won two things: the race and the party…

At this point I already knew that Im the winner of the Europa-Cup because my top three rankings (only the best three count) were 1st, 1st and 2nd. So I took it easy and enjoyed the event itself. Actually thats what Lipno is: more about the mood and party than racing. But thats not bad, I love Lipno and I will for sure go there next year again! So I did not make the best racing but I’m happy ending up on the 6th place.
And in Lipno also Matthi is happy with the food, he loves the palatschinka there.

I would like to say thank you to all the people who helped me to get there!

• Michi Brunner: The best brother of the world! Thanks for everything, for motivating me, loving me, laughing with me and kayaking with me!
• My Parents: Thank you so much for introducing me to this sport so very early! My mother has always put more focus on the technique and my dad was more in charge of the fun. Great teamwork!
• Bernie Steidl: You have already supported me even when I wasn’t a good paddler yet. Thank you for believing in me and for helping me to improve my kayaking. “Nothing can be created out of nothing”, that’s what you told me some years ago and it is still in my head, helping to motivate me.
• Gregor Becke: Best trainer ever!!! One season training with you and immediately I got way faster! You helped me so much to get faster and to keep my motivation high.
• Matthi: Matthi! I love paddling with you! You are always pushing me but in a safe way! We spent a lot of time together and i hope for more years like that;)
• Janosch: My darling, what would I do without you and your mullet. Can’t wait for the next kayaking trip with you. You are so motivated and I love that!
• Dani Haller: We met each other so many years ago and spent so much time together: On the river, in the gym or on the couch when we had one of our movie nights. I already miss you here in Innsbruck!
• Marieke: Hey Marieke, thanks for dings. We experienced quite a lot of adventures together, like our Atna mission or when we were in Chile! It’s always fun to travel with you!
• Benni: Yo Benni, thanks a lot! It’s so cool to paddle with you. Always looking for new challenges and funny thins. Lean-Boof-Stomp-Combination. Let’s get crazy again in Chile!
• Jacques! You are an amazing person and always listening. You definitely see the glass half full! Thank you for being my friend!
• Andi Bormann: When I was in school and had no car, you always picked me up and and went kayaking with me! That was amazing, thank you! You are a very optimistic person and I like that. I think because of you I also became pretty optimistic!
• Luca: You are my acro-yoga partner and always open for new things. We had a lot of fun together and I think we also will in the future!
• Tom: Unfortunately you cut in your hand in Georgia, but thank you for being my coach afterwards! You really helped me taking that win! Hopefully we can go on a trip together also next year!
• Klotzi: Thanks for the good times we had together! I like it when we paddle together because when I watch you, I can always learn how to get faster.
• Sam Ellis: I still hear your voice in my head… I will never forget how loud and enthusiastic you cheered me up at the veko race. Thanks for that, you helped me a lot for winning that race:)
• Adrian Durrant: You are the best team manager I can imagine! Thank you!
• Eric Deguil: You gave me really helpful tips over the last years how to get faster. Telling me some lines, or how long my paddle should be, etc. Thanks for that Eric!
• Michele Ramazza: Thank you for increasing my motivation by telling me I’m not fast yet.
• Martin and Stefan Jindra: Thanks for teaching me how to seduce girls;) Oh wait, what were we talking about?