Kites and Bikes - KAP Jasa - kite team Slovenia

“There is the Tour of Slovenia cycling race going on right now.”
“So?”
“And it will be windy tomorrow.”
“And…?”
“And the race is broadcast live on TV Slovenia and on Eurosport ...”
“… Ahaaa!”

Our kite club has a status of a non-governmental organisation in the public interest, and one of the main reasons we exist, as defined in our charter, is promoting kite culture.

So we fly kites, we make kite festivals large and small, we do kite workshops, and we try to find and exploit any opportunity for blatant promotion we can.

The best way to promote kite culture is, of course, to get our kites on TV.

We have all seen crazy shenanigans people do when the caravan of the Tour de France passes their village in the hope they will attract the cameras, so our idea was simple – let’s do one on the Tour of Slovenia race too!

We shall find a field where the maillot jaune and all the other contenders will pass by, lift the kites, and the TV cameras will do the rest!

But to pull off such a promotional trick is far from easy. First, the kites need wind, and the wind must blow in the right direction (if a kite would fall on or across the road and cause a huge crash, we would be on TV, but for all the wrong reasons).

The stage route is set, and a suitable field must be right next to it. The live broadcast of the Tour of Slovenia starts at 13:00, so only half of the stage is on TV. We have to be on the field an hour before, because the road is then closed for the race.

And all the kites must be in the air at precisely the right moment, when the peloton with all the cameras whoosh by.

The fourth stage of the Tour of Slovenia from Škofljica to the top of Krvavec mountain seemed like it was made for our cunning plan. The riders would race across Sora and Kranj fields north of Ljubljana; the land is flat and the wind forecast was nearly perfect.

Alas, finding a suitable micro-location was somewhat of a pain in the ass. We were driving along our pre-planned route looking for a nice place, but … It’s a farmers’ country, so most of the land is covered with fields of grain; and the few meadows between them were not mowed yet – we all know how farmers react if you stomp all over their uncut grass. The power lines were seemingly everywhere, and there was absolutely no place to park.

And just when our hearts began to sink and our heads to panic, we spotted a freshly mowed meadow on the right side of the road, far from any tree or electricity pylon. Even a place to park was less than a mile away, and we still had like half an hour to set everything up!

We were just outside the village of Moše, on the eastern bank of Mavčiče reservoir.

The kites went into the wind.

Including our flagship kite, the great Proteus anguinus maximus, the flying olm, the beloved human fish of Dr.Agon kites!

And then the show began for real. First a couple … ok, some ten policemen on motorcycles went by blasting their sirens, clearing and closing the road for the racers. And all of them did what most people do when they see kites in the air: they slowed down, looked, waved, giving thumbs up, smiling from ear to ear.

Then the cars came, the race director, the support vehicles (all waving, honking, smiling), and we spotted a helicopter in the distance – the riders were closing in and coming fast!

And there was a break, the leaders some four minutes ahead of the peloton!

The chopper was very interested in our flying monsters, so he swooped in …

And came really really close.

Then the break whooshed by, first the motorcycles, then the eight brave riders, then the support cars … they were trying to extend their lead, so they went full speed ahead, like 60 km/h, and it was really impressive.

The chopper lingered, and then followed the leading group.

Four minutes later the peloton arrived.

The riders never looked up, but the sports directors and mechanics and staff in the caravan of cars did, and there was more honking and waving and smiling.

And then they were gone.

Suddenly, our phones lit up: “We saw your kites on TV!” “How cool was that!” “Even the commentators were praising the kites!” “Wow!”

When we got home, we turned the TV on, went back in time (delayed viewing FTW!), and …

Check this out!

It was a great experience, we had a lot of fun, the Tour of Slovenia caravan had fun, and millions (ok, maybe we like to exaggerate a bit) of people in front of the screens saw the kites fly on Eurosport and on TV Slovenia 2!