Noli Sup Race, Italian Riviera – July 15-17th
EuroTour is coming to Italy
All the best Italian, and many of the best European athletes in Stand Up Paddling will take part at the first edition of Noli Sup Race, from July 15th to 17th. The race, that will include both the Eurotour Elite race and the Italian Sprint championships will be held in the waters of the ancient maritime republic of Noli.
Located in the heart of the Riviera Ligure, Noli’s territory offers an incredible variety of opportunities for outdoor sports: from world-class mountain biking trails, to famous climbing routes to countless options for stand up paddling, windsurfing, diving and sailing.
The event includes a two races (a long-distance and a sprint) beside a whole bunch of fun competitions dedicated to amateurs, all accompanied by shows and activities that will directly involve the spectators. The most exciting race will be the long distance Eurotour Elite (15 kilometers, scheduled for the Saturday morning) where the athletes, starting from the fishermen beach of Noli, will have to pass twice the stunning Capo Noli heading to the beach of the Saraceni, while the amateur long distance consists two less demanding courses of 7 and 3.5 kilometers. The Sprint race – 500 meters at full throttle – will take place on Sunday in front of Noli’s promenade.
During the weekend there will be many fun side activities including the Inflatable Big Board race and the relay race.
On July 14th and 15th Noli will also host the first European SUPKids training program: a 2 day intensive workshop for the founding SUPKids Delivery Centres in Europe.
SUPKids is an educational program for 5-12 year olds designed to teach kids SUP, water safety & environmental education, developed by the British surfer Linzi Hawkin.
The Location
Located in the middle of Ligurian Riviera, Noli is a very picturesque Italian town facing a calm bay surrounded by the cliffs of Capo Noli and Punta del Vescovo. Just a few hundred meter above the sea the ruins of a castle loom benevolently over the tiny medieval gem of Noli. Huddled under craggy Monte Ursino, Noli is a picturesque, miniature, walled town which is one of the best-preserved medieval cities on this stretch of the coast. Noli is a small resort, but one of the more attractive to visit along the Riviera di Ponente due to its setting, the sandy beaches, the castle and defensive walls on the hill above the town, and the medieval towers that dominate the historic centre. It’s hard to imagine that this charming seaside village was—like Genoa, Venice, Pisa, and Amalfi—a prosperous maritime republic in the Middle Ages. From here Columbus set off to Spain and then to the Americas in his famous voyage.
Just 4m above sea level, Noli sits quite literally on the beach. There is a small palm-fringed promenade and a good little public beach with rough sand. Pulled up on the sand are rows of little boats belonging to the local fishermen, who set out every night to fish in the bay returning the morning after with their fresh catch. Let yourself get lost among its labyrinth cobblestone streets filled with shops and cafés or enjoy a day in the sun on its lovely stretch of beach. Your visit to Noli will most likely start with the long beach and the seafront! Fishing boats still operate from Noli, unlike most of the historic villages along the Ligurian coast, and you will see many of these boats tied up along the top of the beach.
Away from the beach the historic centre of Noli is also very pleasant to explore and just a few metres behind the beach. There are small squares with cafes and bars and lively shopping streets to explore, typically lined by attractive properties painted in faded pastel colours and featuring ironwork balconies. Among small artisan shops, the traditional bakeries that produce non-stop their soft and tasty focaccia, each street is a unique opportunity to get lost in the tradition of these places where time seems to have almost stopped. Ice-cream shops and patisseries with their traditional sweets.
There are also several medieval towers and gateways to further enhance the town centre of Noli by giving it the feeling of being an ‘authentic Italian village’ and not just a tourist resort.
Also just outside the town centre you can see the romanic style Church of San Paragorio. If you like hiking, you can try the picturesque trail nestled in a forest of oaks, that climbs up to the top of Capo Noli. It offers a unique view of the entire coastline. If you are into mountain biking, especially downhill, you will find world-class tracks around Noli.
Noli is a few kilometres along the Ligurian coast to the north-east of the popular resort of Finale Ligure, one of the most lively resorts and well worth exploring. Half way between Noli and Finale Ligure you will also enjoy the beach at Varigotti, one of the most attractive in the region, and the stage of the Noli SUP Race long-distance battle.
Program/Schedule
July 15, 2016
‣ 19.00: Opening – Registration
‣ 19.30: Welcome Party
‣ 20,30-22,30: SUP Film Festival
July 16, 2016
‣ 9:00 a.m.: Registration
‣ 10h00 Skippers’ Meeting
‣ 10h30: Start Long Distance Race: Elite Eurotour 15 km, 7 km amateur, amateur 3.5 km
‣ 13h00: Pasta Party
‣ 14h00: Amateur Races, SUP School, SUPKids
‣ 18h00: SUP Yoga
‣ 19h00: Beach Party / DJset
July 17, 2016
‣ 10h00: Registration
‣ 11h00 Skippers’ Meeting
‣ 11h30: Start Sprint Race: FISURF 500m, 500m amateur
‣ 13h00: Pasta Party
‣ 14h00: Start Amateur Races: Sprint BIG BOARDS / Team Relay, SUP School, SUPKids
‣ 17h30: Beach Party / DJset
For more information about Noli SUP Race visit www.nolisuprace.com or the Facebook page www.facebook.com/nolisuprace
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