3 questions to Nicolas Goyard

07/06/2022

Winner of 4 of the 5 races held during the Défi Wind in Gruissan, Nicolas Goyard has won a prestigious trophy that was missing from his collection. And as a bonus, he imposes a little more the foil support at the highest level. Freshly crowned European champion in iQFOil, he looks back on his 2 notable performances with Windsurfjournal.com.

Windsurfjournal.com: 5 races, 4 victories, it's a domination almost without sharing, how did you live this Défi Wind over the days and the races?
Nicolas Goyard: I came straight from the iQFOil European Championship and I was very tired the few days before the start of the races, but that didn't stop me from getting out on the water and adjusting! As usual, there is that excitement when the first countdown starts, especially as the race was going to be windy. I think it was the strongest racing conditions I've ever faced in foil, so it was a big challenge. On the edges, it went surprisingly well but the seaweed at the Ayrolle was a big handicap for the foils... Disappointed with this first round of 22nd, especially as on the first leg, before the Ayrolle, I saw that I had the speed to be in the top 5... But we'll never know! Then, the following races were a bit calmer, all in 4.5 Phantom RF and R78 MK2, with a lot less seaweed and above all a lot of speed! I messed up my starts in races 2 and 4, but despite that, I was back in the game very quickly. So I had a very good feeling on the water, which is very nice!

WJ: The battle between the fins and the foils was highly anticipated and did not disappoint. What lessons have you learnt from this confrontation in Gruissan between the two?
NG: I think that the foils are slowly but surely gaining in ease in strong to very strong winds and this can be felt on the water. The water in Gruissan is not easy to handle with a foil, not even because of the seaweed around the Ayrolles, but for all that, the foil remains very competitive for a long time. Then, on the more downwind legs, it was clear that the fins still had a slight edge, which means that on a slalom course, in the wind of the Défi, the foils are always behind... But we are getting closer! The avenues explored for handling in strong winds are being confirmed, and other ideas will soon be put in place to continue this evolution. Antoine Albeau mixed aileron and foil over the 3 days while Antoine Questel did everything with fins and showed once again that he knew how to catch and go fast! He was very, very impressive. The winning formula is probably not yet full foil for many people and Antoine Albeau played it safe and did it very well.

WJ: This victory in Gruissan follows your European title in iQFOil a few days earlier... These are two major victories in a very short period of time, what do these two consecutive performances inspire you?
NG: I don't consider that I really won the European title this year in iQFOil. During the week, even if I was very present, Luuc van Opzeeland was above me and it is normal to underline that. Nevertheless, it is a very good performance, and I am very happy to have succeeded in putting in 3 weeks of intense effort without weakening, or at least not too much! Then, it was very satisfying to be able to switch efficiently from the iQFOil to my Phantom equipment and I proved to myself that I was very well adjusted on both supports, which is reassuring for the rest of the season.