Cecile Gondre

Cécile Gondre

The latest face to join the BIC Sport team is 37 year old Cecile Gondre, from the Loire Atlantique area of France, who has already featured in big events like the California Battle of the Paddle. Married, with a 4 year old daughter, Cecile is the epitome of the modern mum, juggling family, work and competitions. She works as a horse physiotherapist (massages and stretching for race horses) and is a member of the very busy JPS44 club.

Interview :

How long have you been into SUP ?
I started about 2 years ago, on an SUP Surf board, and for the last year and a half I’ve been racing on a 12’6

Which sports were you doing before SUP ?
Windsurfing, Kitesurfing, and sailing. I taught sailing in a sailing school for a number of years, plus I’ve competed extensively in Class 8 and J80

Which are your favourite spots ?
For 12’6 racing, I do most of my training around Saint-Brevin les Pins, that’s for Beach Race and Downwind. For flat water I usually go to l’Erdre (Nantes) with the local JPS44 club

For SUP Surf I usually head down to the Vendee, there are great waves to be had at Bretignole or Saint Gilles Croix de Vie

Isn’t it difficult to balance competitions, work and family life ?
I’ve managed to work out a competition routine, around which I’ve been able to organise my work, my training, plus the alternate weekends spent with my family. My 4 year old girl is starting to enjoy little outings on an SUP. And my husband also does SUP competitions, which all helps with the organisation of our weekends

How did you get into SUP ?
Having been into kitesurfing for quite a while, I was really interested in trying a new sport (sea/water sport obviously), so we invested in an SUP-Wind to get ourselves going with, after that the simple fun of getting out in the small waves and no wind armed with nothing more than a paddle soon got me hooked

Do you have a special training programme ?
This year I’ve developed a more structured approach to training, alternating water sessions with muscle development work on dry land. And I try to get out paddling every Saturday with my local club on the river Erdre

What have been your most memorable competition experiences ?
My first ever 8km race, at a point when my only board was an 8’9 surf model. I spent an hour and a half paddling in an a zig-zag, but I was totally stoked. Then more recently, at the Battle of the Paddle in California, with over 400 riders on the start line it gets the adrenaline going I can tell you.

What equipment do you keep in your quiver ? Do you have a favourite board ?
A 12’6  x 25 BIC Sport custom race board, and 11’ Wing for fitness training, and a BIC Paddle-Surf for waves.

What conditions do you prefer : deep sea ? flat glassy ? waves ?
Deep sea for downwind, but I also like the small waves that have a long break when we’re beach racing, it’s great fun and there’s always plenty of action in the beach break and around the marker buoys.

What do you hope to achieve in your next competitions ?
Get into the top 5 on the women’s circuit, and most of all to keep on enjoying the experience, from the big international competitions or the BIC SUP One Design circuit.

Results :