The kayakers of the Club de Mar Mallorca, César Solís wins the Descenso of Sella at Asturias

The kayaker of the Club de Mar Mallorca César Solís achieved the victory in the Surfski category at the Descenso of Sella at Asturias, one of the most traditional races of kayaking in Spain.

More than a thousand kayakers of 18 countries hit each other like every year at the kick off of the narrow channel of the river to achieve the challenge of the route of 20 kilometers and to aspire to get a good position.

It was not easy for César Solís who set off from the position 565, in the group of 33 participants of the Surfski category, a sea kayak with a collapsible rudder so that it doesn't break when it touches the bottom of the river, something that is typical in the course of the river which this year had little water. “The outing was a madness, it is a miracle that they don't break your own kayak at that very moment, the first three kilometers is a ‘save yourself’  instance” explains the kayaker, originally from Asturias, and with a wide experience in this race.

“In the first curve, they threw me in the water. At that moment the most important thing is to be alert so that another kayak does not come from the bow because it may leave you knocked out in the river, but I managed to get in the kayak quickly again” explains in detail César Solís.

Another complicated part is the first rapid with about seventy ships hitting each other in a narrow stretch of four meters of width. “At that moment I decided to get out of the water, run a couple of meters and enter the river again”, comments the kayaker. Coming out of the river with your equipment is a maneuver accepted at the Descenso of Sella, in cases like this one.

During all the route to bypass all the kayaks is one of the major difficulties at the Descenso of Sella and it is usual to go over kayaks and other people, as Solís remembers: At the height of Llodio I had to stop because I had a girl in the sea in front of me”. The test requires a maximum technical demand but also physical, César Solís does not go under the 180 pulses per minute in any moment, but he assumes that “to triumph in a race with so many competitors you have to go to die”.

However, the kayaker of the Club de Mar was able to control during the route the rivals of his category: “At kilometer 3 I was in third place and in the fifth I already was in second position, from then onwards I started to get behind my rival, in first position the portuguese, until about half race in I overtook him and i maintained in first place until the end”, explain César Solís, who was able to celebrate his victory at the finishing line.