Windsurfing
Björn Dunkerbeck: “You never get bored of winning”
Catching up with windsurfing legend Björn Dunkerbeck at the last ever Surf World Cup in Podersdorf.
Björn Dunkerbeck
© Martin Reiter
The international windsurfing elite is gathering in Podersdorf am See, Austria, one last time for the final Surf World Cup in Podersdof.
Finishing on May 8, it's the last time the event will take place there before moving to a new location in 2017, most likely Neusiedl am See.
Among those celebrating an emotional final farewell in ‘Podo’ will be the windsurfing legend Björn Dunkerbeck.
Hi, Björn! Tell us, what is so special about the Surf World Cup in Podersdorf? The consistency. The Surf World Cup has been held here for more than 20 years – and I was one of those here for the very first edition all those years ago. Another thing that is special is the fact that it is an event held on fresh water, which gives windsurfers a totally different feeling than salt water. Salt water gives you more buoyancy, so when you ride on fresh water you need a larger board and larger sail to achieve the same results. But that’s something that only very few people know.
So it is fair to say that the event in Podersdorf different to those normally experienced by windsurfers? Definitely! And not just from a sporting point of view. The event has developed into a real all-round experience where visitors can try out lots of different watersports, such as Stand Up Paddling, windsurfing and kitesurfing.
Do you have a story from your time in Podersdorf which you would like to share with us? Absolutely! Last time I was here I finished in third place. After the event I celebrated – hard! I didn’t know that nights could last so long [laughs].
You organise a contest of your own, the Dunkerbeck GPS Speed Challenge. Explain to us the concept in simple terms. The event is all about speed. There is a course, which generally runs parallel to the beach. The riders have an hour to pass through the course as many times as they want. Each time they do so their speed over 250m is measured via GPS. The two fastest runs are used for the ranking. It’s not about jumps or jibes, but instead it’s all about speed. The fastest competitor is the winner.
You have won so many titles and so many events. What are the best sporting moments for you? When you win a lot, your attitude changes. You have higher and higher expectations all the time. If you finish second then it is a total disaster. So the best moments are those when you realise that you were good enough to be one of the best in the world for a long of time. That does not mean that the feeling of winning isn’t a great feeling – you never get bored of winning.
How sad are you that this is the last Surf World Cup in Podersdorf? I don’t think it’s a reason to be sad. On the contrary, I am looking forward to the new wind at the new location. At the moment it looks likely that it will be Neusiedl am See. It seems like that would be a good idea. The transport connections there are good, so that may attract even more people.