February 14, 2025
Competitors prepare for action at one of the sports most unique events.
The second stop of the Freestyle Pro Tour’s journey around the world takes the riders away from the thousands of fans at the boot 2025 in Dusseldorf, and to warm, windy South Africa. Making a return to the FPT calendar for a third year in a row, the first Proving Grounds series event of the year promises to deliver a unique and unpredictable kind of freestyle action only possible in Cape Town.
The location of the event – and the one-of-a-kind freestyle conditions that many of it’s spots offer – is what makes this event stand out amongst others on the FPT calendar. Similarly to the previous two years, the single elimination heats are to take place on the flat waters of Rietvlei Lake at the Milnerton Aquatic Club, while the double elimination will see the riders move onto the open ocean, with a chance to showcase some of their biggest moves off the spot’s perfect kickers. The one factor combining these two different locations? Incredibly strong winds.
The contrast between the conditions at the two different competition spots is what makes this event so exciting different from any other event on tour.
The FPT Proving Grounds series is a category of event known to deliver on excitement, serving as an opportunity for less experienced competitors and local shredders to mix with some of the best riders present on tour. And with it being a five-star event, the level of competition promises to be at an all-time high, with exciting matchups between riders left and right.
Due to primarily being a location known for it’s wave-sailing potential, Cape Town sees many wave sailors in town at this time of year. What this leads to is fierce competition in a battle of disciplines – wave versus freestyle.
Upsets and unexpected outcomes are not uncommon in Cape Town. The 2023 men’s and women’s competitions were both taken by wave sailors – Marc Pare and Pauline Katz (Severne), with the freestylers firing back in 2024 with Jacopo Testa (WeOne) and Lisa Kloster (MB/Sailoft) taking wins in their respective competitions.
Who are the riders to look out for in the upcoming competition then?
The favorite for the event is back-to-back European champion, last year’s finalist and winner of the 2025’s season opener in Dusseldorf: Lennart Neubauer (Starboard/Severne). Having arrived in Cape Town a little over a week ago, The Greek has been hard at work training in both flatwater conditions and in the waves, showing triple combo moves and some incredible wave-freestyle on his socials. Maybe the double in the waves could see him try the Shifty Forward he came so close to landing in Pozo last year in competition, watch this space.
His main competition? Jacopo Testa (WeOne). Having arrived in Cape Town, the Italian has been hard at work this winter season. Bringing a guarantee for a strong showing with his high diversity, consistency and style.
Another competitor who will be challenging Neubauer and Testa at the front will be Jamie Howard (Severne), who put up a very strong performance last year finishing in 5th place. Retaining his underdog status despite strong finishes at many tour events last year, Jamie is looking in very strong form and is sure to be a challenger for the event crown.
And of course – the wave riders. Two names sure to make an impact are Florian Jung (Starboard/GunSails) and David Jeschke (GunSails), who will be challenging for the men’s title, and will no doubt deliver a strong performance on the ocean. But who else will show; Marc Pare, Alessio Stillrich…
With the event window being open for 10 days, but the competition time itself being limited to 2, the upcoming days will seemingly be packed with freestyle action as winds reaching up to 30-40 knots are forecasted for the first days of the competition window, and lighter winds predicted later in the week.
Make sure to tune into the FPT channels for news, follow our Instagram stories for on-site updates, and look for highlight videos on our YouTube as competition days conclude!
EVENT SCHEDULE
Saturday 15th February
08:00-09:00 – Competitor Registration
09:30 – Skippers Meeting
10:00 – First Possible Start
Evening – After Party at Dirty Habits Mudita Music Festival at the Ostrich Ranch
All FPT competitors and spectators get discounted tickets using the code: FREESTYLEPROTOUR – CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS
Pre Register online by CLICKING HERE
(You must still come to physical registration at 08:00-09:00 to collect sail stickers and pay the entry fee.)
Sunday 16th February
Schedule to be announced via official whatsapp group.
Follow all the updates via our whatsapp group: CLICK HERE
