In 2018 the new CLASS1 Race in Castellon/Oropesa del Mar, Spain, will be kicking off the WIC season for the first time. With eight official teams the WIC 2018 starts with the biggest team pool since 2014. “We are very happy that this year the race in Oropesa del Mar is an official and inaugural leg of the WORLD INLINE CUP series, particularly as there will be some of the world’s best among the skaters from more than 20 countries in eight teams, which is an increase compared to the last five years”, said Petr Stastny, President of the WORLD INLINE CUP.
Elite skaters from eight teams meet mass movement
The registered international WIC athletes will come to Spain from countries such as Portugal, Venezuela, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, New Zealand, Estonia, Slovenia, USA, Ukraine, Columbia, Italy, Netherlands, France and others and prove once again that the WORLD INLINE CUP is the world’s leading marathon series. In Oropesa del Mar, the participation of professional WIC teams such as the Rollerblade Speed Team 2018, the Czech National Team, the Powerslide/Matter Racing Team, the In-Gravity Team, the SAM Racing Team, the EO Skates World Team, the Castellon Spain Roller Marathon Team and the BONT Team with current and former World, European and World Games Champions underpins that the WORLD INLINE CUP 2018 continues the positive trend from last year with more registrations and more teams.
In the professional field, top skaters such as the 2017 overall WIC winner Patxi Peula from the EO Skates World Team, the runner-up Ewen Fernandez from the Rollerblade World Team and Felix Rijhnen from the Powerslide/Matter Racing Team are just some highlights. Other high-profile athletes in the men’s field such as Gary Hekman and Diogo Marreiros (both BONT Skates), the Venezuelan Alexander Bastidas (In-Gravity International Team) as well as Guillaume de Mallevoue and Quentin Giraudeau from the Rollerblade World Team will contribute to an exciting atmosphere at the event.
The women´s competition will be equally thrilling: Katharina Rumpus (Powerslide/Matter Racing Team) will have to defend her 2017 WIC title against strong opponents such as the Dutch skater Manon Kamminga (BONT Skates) and her team mates Clémence Halbout and Maelann Le Roux from France. Also, the Castellon Roller Marathon Team from Spain has a strong line-up: Maialen Oñate and Laura Esbrí will surely attempt to be up in front as well.
Elite skaters, mass movement and party on the spanish coast
The goal for the officials of the WORLD INLINE CUP is to show that it is more than just a marathon series. The new WIC marathon in a very attractive setting will allow skaters to begin the season under the warming sun of Oropesa del Mar, where the weather conditions with more than 300 days of sunshine allow to practice outdoor sports throughout the entire year. After the medal ceremony, all WIC skaters are invited to a giant paella cooking event (tasting included) on site from 19:30 to 20:00. An after-race party will be held for all skaters and friends from 23:00 in Disco El Búho (Marina d'Or)!
Calendar 2018
After Oropesa del Mar the next stop of the 2018 WORLD INLINE CUP will be Rennes (France) on 27th May followed by Dijon (France) on 10th June, Ostrava (Czech Republic) on 16th June and Harbin (China) on 14th July. The cup will see its climax at the final race held this year in Berlin (Germany) at the world’s largest Inline Marathon on 15th September. The date of the race in Incheon (Korea) will be announced as soon as possible.
