Following five back-to-back days of distance paddling, Seychelle was officially crowned champion of the 2018 SUP 11 City Tour in Holland. Seychelle has raced in the SUP 11 City Tour twice before in 2015 and 2016 and won both times. She took the year off in 2017, but this year she was determined to return and win her third victory – and that’s just what she did.
The elite races kicked off on September 4, 2018 in the city of Leeuwarden. Straight out of the gate, Seychelle picked up an early victory on Day 1. Following her initial win however, she struggled in the next couple races – battling herself, the competition, and the elements – to maintain her lead. On Day 2, she faced some serious challenges that left her with a -2:30m gap on first place, held by Yuka Sato.
Despite the mental and physical strain of Day 2, Seychelle pushed through the pain and came out much stronger and more positive on Day 3 and ended up winning the second half of the day’s events. However, the gap on first still grew another 30sec by the end of the day. Going in to Day 4, she knew and that she needed to make a dent in that gap.
In the Day 4 42.5km race, she stayed relaxed for the first 10k, then put the hammer down for the next 11k which landed her in the lead with a solid 2:00m gap halfway through the race. However, just behind her was Yuka Sato who managed to close the gap on her in the third quarter of the race. Heading into the final 10k stretch, Seychelle paddled like a woman possessed to pull away and finish in first with +1:50 gap. This set her up with a slightly smaller overall gap of a -2:30m going into the final day.
When Day 5 arrived, Seychelle was ready to lay it all on the line and that’s exactly what she did. Paddling at lightning speed like an absolute powerhouse, Seychelle was unstoppable in her pursuit of victory, winning Day 5 by over 11 minutes and earning her third SUP11 City Tour crown by +9:30m – an amazing, well fought victory! Her inspiring comeback continues to show us the importance of always pushing through adversity and never giving up.
Seychelle was racing on the SIC RS 14