FUERTEVENTURA SLALOM X: DOES SIZE MATTER?FUERTEVENTURA SLALOM X: DOES SIZE MATTER?Does being bigger make you faster in Slalom X? In the brutal, high-wind battlefield of Fuerteventura, its certainly tempting to think so. After all, when the wind is howling and sailors are hanging on to their smallest sails, those extra kilos and leverage theoretically should be a handy advantage!But before sailors start hitting the gym to bulk up for next year and loading up on pasta, its worth remembering that in racing, size is only one piece of the puzzle. The incredible skills, tuning wizardry and years of experience of the top guns like Matteo Iachino, Pierre Mortefon and Maciek Rutkowski are just as crucial when it comes to finding those extra tenths of a second than being a heavyweight that can just go fast in a straight line.For a bit of fun, we took a closer look at the height and weight of the top twenty riders to see if the numbers reveal any interesting trends. Are the podium contenders all towering giants built for maximum horsepower, or can the lighter sailors still mix it with the big boys? From the tallest racers to the lightest, weve crunched the stats to see if there really is a winning formula or if, as usual in windsurfing, the answer is a little more complicated and probably involves a lot more talent than simply eating more cake!Photos: PWA/ CARTERQUICK STATS / TOP TWENTY BREAKDOWN!Average height: 185 cm Average weight: 94 kg Tallest rider: Jordy Vonk 193 cm Shortest rider: Victor Delerue 172 cm Heaviest rider: Jordy Vonk 103.6 kg Lightest rider: Victor Delerue 72.5 kgSo The average Top 20 sailor in Fuerteventura stands around 185 cm tall and tips the scales on average at 94 kgroughly the size of an international rugby back-row forward. Yet despite the apparent size advantage, riders such as Brendan Lorho (79.2 kg) and Victor Delerue (72.5 kg) prove that skill and technique can still outweigh brute strength.But the top four were a seriously powerful group with an average height of 184.8 cm and weight around 98.4 kg. Coincidently the top two in the fleet height and weight were exactly the same183cm and 99.3kgmaybe this is the magic number combined with all the other necessary skills needed to win?RiderHeightWeightMatteo Iachino186 cm99.3 kgPierre Mortefon186 cm99.3 kgMaciek Rutkowski183 cm97.0 kgAmado Vrieswijk184 cm98.1 kgHowever, height and weight have advantagestechnique, fitness, gear tuning and experience still decides who wins. That said, there are some trends in the top twenty list of data!HEAVY SEEMS TO BE AN ADVANTAGE!Among your Top 20:10 riders weigh over 97 kg 6 riders weigh over 99 kg Only two riders are under 80 kg (Brendan Lorho and Victor Delerue).Height matters to a pointThe average height of the Top 20 is roughly 185 cm (6 ft 1 in).THE TALLESTJordy Vonk 193 cm (11th)Tristan Algret (22nd) 193 cm Nico Prien 190 cm (5th)THE SHORTEST:Victor Delerue 172 cm (19th)Elton Frans 176 cm (7th)Cedric Bordes 177 cm (13th)CONCLUSIONSo, does size matter? The numbers certainly suggest that carrying a solid height and weight is an advantage, especially in Fuerteventuras windy slalom conditions, with many of the sports big guns weighing in close to the 100 kg mark. But there are plenty of exceptions, proving there isnt a one-size-fits-all formula for success. In the end, speed and winning comes from much more than whats on the scalesits the perfect blend of talent, technique, fitness, gear tuning and the mental ability to deliver when you are out there on the race course under pressure!MENS TOP TWENTY IN FUERTEVENTURA FULL LIST1: Matteo Iachino ITA-140: 186 cm | 99.3 kg2: Pierre Mortefon F-14: 186 cm | 99.3 kg3: Maciek Rutkowski POL-23: 183 cm | 97.0 kg4: Amado Vrieswijk NB-20: 184 cm | 98.1 kg5: Nico Prien GER-7: 190 cm | 100.1 kg6: Jimmy Thieme FRA-888: 185 cm | 90.6 kg7: Elton (Taty) Frans NB-9: 176 cm | 93.7 kg8: Bruno Martini ITA-160: 187 cm | 102.6 kg9: Benoit Merceur FRA-1159: 183 cm | 92.2 kg10: Lohan Jules GPE-1052: 189 cm | 97.2 kg11: Jordy Vonk NED-69: 193 cm | 103.6 kg12: Brendan Lorho FRA-113: 187 cm | 79.2 kg13: Cedric Bordes FRA-91: 177 cm | 98.4 kg14: Pierre Macquaert FRA-945: 180 cm | 97.5 kg15: Ingmar Daldorf NED-191: 192 cm | 99.3 kg16: Sacha Fortune FRA-655: 185 cm | 85.4 kg17: Scotty Stallman GBR-68: 183 cm | 95.4 kg18: William Huppert FRA-330: 187 cm | 94.2 kg19: Victor Delerue FRA-96: 172 cm | 72.5 kg20: Alexis Mathis FRA-997: 186 cm | 86.0 kgThe post FUERTEVENTURA SLALOM X: DOES SIZE MATTER? appeared first on Windsurf Magazine Online.