RUBEN LENTEN: The business of the Megaloop The Internet has caused a boom in the coverage of extreme sports. With one of kiteboarding s heavyweights, Ruben Lenten, Discover Benelux finds out how he has made his passion for pushing the limits into a business. TEXT: PHIL GALE PHOTOS: YDWER.COM 6 Issue 2 December 2013 - January 2014
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For many, strong winds and bad weather on the coast would spell disaster for a planned day on the beach. But for Dutch kiteboarder, Ruben Lenten, these conditions see him rubbing his hands together, itching to ride, making his home in the Netherlands the perfect base for this extreme athlete. It is an interesting revolution that has taken place over the past 10 years. Extreme sports, which were classed as fringe or niche, have now been thrown into the eyes of the world. With the marketing genius of brands such as Red Bull and the platform of social media, more of us are looking at these visually stunning antics. Not necessarily the true thrill seekers or adrenaline junkies who are at the cutting edge of these sports, we are addicted to watching people push the limits of what is possible, giving us all a good dose of something jaw dropping to watch. Lenten has been riding a kiteboard through this revolution, experiencing first hand not only the growth in the sport, but also how to be able to make a profession out of it. One day when I was 12 I saw a kiteboarder on the beach in Noordwijk, Lenten recounts. I was amazed by it. Having already flown some small kites on the beach I was really interested to try it. My parents helped me out to get all the equipment, because it was all I spoke about. I started to ride straight away and was instantly in love with it. Kiteboarding, or kitesurfing, is a young sport. It sees the rider on a board (similar to a wake board) being pulled over the water by a large inflatable kite. Usually taking place by the sea riders need the skill to both harness the power of the wind, manoeuvring their kite to pull them around, plus read the waves, using them to launch themselves into aerial manoevres. It is a sport that requires little equipment, a kite with a controlbar, a harness and a board, it is not reliant on waves or boats for propulsion. The only factors it needs are water and wind! Even at that young age Lenten caught the attention of his fellow riders, but it was not until he was 16 years old that a professional contract came into fruitition. Lenten continues: After turning pro I started to compete, dreaming of winning a World title. I would travel all over the world to compete at the top competitions. It was an amazing time, riding with the best, but it was not really what I wanted deep down. With riding his life, Lenten was torn. How would he be able to continue to ride as a professional if he did not compete? Lenten expanded: Competition Kiteboarding is amazing, but it was not for me. I started to 8 Issue 2 December 2013 - January 2014
struggle with motivation. The events are judged on technicality: performing small tricks perfectly. What I have always loved to do is go big, pushing the limits of what is possible on a kiteboard. That is where I get my thrill and what I love the most about the sport. So I decided to take a different direction and move away from the competitive side of kiteboarding In any sport the top level of competition is normally where the financial gains are to be found. Would Ferrari fund a Formula One car that was focused on breaking lap times, rather than competing on the World stage? Doubtful, and without sponsors who feel that they are getting a return for their investment, life as a professional in whatever sport is very unlikely. This was why Lenten s move was a risky one, he explains: It was a bit of a leap, turning to the extreme and cutting edge side of the sport, but it was the right move. Now rather than travelling the world to compete, Lenten focuses on working with his sponsors to make films and run events where he can push the sport to the extreme, a very savvy business move at a time when the world was looking for entertainment. Lenten continues: It is not until I was injured for my first time that I ever thought about the business side of the sport. With the downtime, out of competition and riding, I soon realised that I had to start to think more about this. How to work with my sponsors, how to promote my own brand and exposure to be able maintain my life as a professional, fund this new move I wanted to take within the sport, whilst also promoting my love for kiteboarding to the world. Today sees Lenten spending just as much time taking interviews, working on his website, social media and shooting content as he does riding. There has been a lot to learn and a lot of work, but it is paying off, Lenten explains. The internet has been a great platform for everyone in kiteboarding to promote themselves. Working with great sponsors also, such as Red Bull, has helped me so much. They have really been at the forefront of the extreme sport revolution, promoting all the niche sports, where people are pushing the limits of what is possible. Lenten s work does not stop there, being known as one of the riders who consistently goes the biggest in the sport he decided to set up his own events, focusing on going big rather than technical perfection, he highlights: Basically my event the Megaloop Challenge is based on my signature move and set up as a platform for talented riders to make a name for themselves. I host, judge, and demo at this event where it s all about who can pull the most extreme Megaloop. The first event Issue 2 December 2013 - January 2014 9
Photo: Toby Bromwich took place in South Africa, Cape Town, where the wind condititons are top notch. We focus on the wow-factor of our sport and that s why this event is the most extreme kiteboarding event around. Lenten s event is something new for the sport, which has traditionally seen its competitors follow the same set tour around the world. The Megaloop Challenge only happens when the conditions are right. Lenten continues: We have a multi-month wind window for the competition so that we can await the best weather conditions. I was always tired of riding in bad conditions when I did other competitions, so to maximise the wow factor we have to have time on our side to score strong winds. As with his riding Lenten is not one to sit still, he elaborates: Like with tricks and future events for my riding my brain is now ticking on what else I can do to help my brand and the sport to the next level. By working closerly together with my sponsors I develop the best kiteboarding gear for extreme riding, I am in the process of rebranding my website and also thinking of new events and performances I can set up. Now that I understand the need to mix business with my riding, my mind is happily focused on some awesome challenges and I m learning everyday. To be business savvy and able to self market oneself are not really two skills that many would attribute to an extreme athlete, but Lenten uses these skills to promote his much loved sport and lifestyle, he concludes: Riding is my life and the freedom that I experience on a kiteboard is unparalleled. By promoting the sport and myself, pushing the bounderies of what has been done and what can be done. By giving people the wow factor I can make the sport grow. A bigger sport means that I can ride more, plus more people can experience the thrill that comes from catching the wind in your kite and having fun riding a kiteboard. 10 Issue 2 December 2013 - January 2014
Kiteboarding in the Netherlands: I love the Netherlands, I think that the coast and weather here are perfect for riding. Why? We basicallty get all types of conditions, unlike a lot of other locations on larger oceans. This means that it is possible to ride pretty much something new all the time. Plus the winds create interesting tides and wave formations allowing me to try new tricks. Photo: Toby Bromwich How to get into the sport: Kiteboarding is really simple to get into. Anyone can do it, all you need is some basic equipment. One thing that I do recommend to any beginer is to go to a kiteboarding school to learn how to set up and fly the kite. There are a lot of schools popping up all over the place and they can teach you the basics. Then once you have a good feel for how the kite works and manage to bodydrag, you can start to get out there, enjoying the freedom that is riding! www.len10.com Issue 2 December 2013 - January 2014 11