Ty Judson talks winning on the Eurotour

Welcome Ty Judson! The Euro tour posted a lead up to Costa Brava that last year you were in between teams but riding a NSP and this year you were going after your first win as an official NSP team rider. Was there any pressure that you felt , did you feel you had anything to prove or did you just get out and not even think about it. Was was racing through your mind when you were out front early and the guys were closing the gap as you were about 2k from the finish?

Going into the 4th Euro tour stop at Costa Blanca definitely had its pressures. Not only from social media, or being back to the first race where I borrowed an NSP, but mainly getting the #1 jersey at registration. I knew that for me,  I had the best board possible for my race and that it would all come down to the mental side of things. That means I knew I was going to be hurting if I went off by myself on the upwind, but then I thought “so would everyone else”.

You just came off a week hanging with the team and learning from Vincent at Training week- did this help in your win and what were some key take-aways from Vincent that helped in your win?

Ah yes, last week was awesome, and I think I can speak on behalf of all us at the camp that we had a great time. Being able to train with your buddies is by far the best way to get fit and have fun. We did do a lot of downwinding that week, which definitely helped my confidence on the downwind leg home. Some race advice from the foam master himself (Editor: Alain Teurquetil ) gave me the insights I needed to pursue a successful strategy this weekend.

How does it feel to compete against some of the worlds best and you now find yourself on top of the podium at Costa Brava while sitting in 5th in the world standings? Possibly even 4th after costa Brava?

The last month I have been on tour throughout the US and Europe, paddling against some of the best athletes in the world. So coming into this weekend I knew I was still fit and ready for anything that would be thrown my way. It was a dream to win a Eurotour event, and with the support of NSP, Moby’s Retreat, lots of family & friends back home and some hard work and dedication is what made this possible. Looking into the future I will be working even harder to get as much podium surface as possible.

What board were you using and what can you tell the world about how it paddles? And the paddle you chose?

For the Eurotour I carry a single board; my Carolina 21.5 and I think this win is a testament to the all-round performance of this shape as it it really does perform in every condition. 

I come into all of these events confident that when I race in flat water, ocean, downwinding  or anything in between,  I will be able to paddle strong and hard at any turn. Paddles have made a huge difference for me too, I’m currently using an Allrounder with an 86 blade.

What’s next, will you follow the rest of the tour to test your chances to win the championship or will you change up and head to other races around the world?

At this point I’ll be following the Euro tour up until the 2nd weekend in Greece, that will be stop #9. There is still plenty more racing to go on the tour as we’re only currently up to stop #4, so who knows what will happen… After my stops on the Eurotour are done I’ll head to Hawaii to compete in the Maui to Molokaï race.

Lastly, since spending a few solid weeks in France, who on the NSP team is the cheesiest, why and what was your favorite French Cheese?

What a great question! Titou definitely knows how to eat cheese and Alain isn’t too far behind. It’s such a great team that works well together. I wouldn’t have it any other way (Editor: Alex Bicrel is not exactly lactose intolerant either).

Editor:
With the exception of Annie, Ty was surrounded by French athletes, including Titou Puyo, Alex Bicrel, Alain Teurquetil and of course Vincent Guillaume, founder of Training Week, who’s training methods are covered in this article.