Luke Nicol and Baptise Lambert size each other up during the competition
Photo: Matias Nombarasco
Fly Better,  Techniques and Skills

Wingtip to wingtip with a World Champion

SRS pilot Luke Nicol goes wingtip-to-wingtip with Paragliding World Champion Baptiste Lambert at the Sports-Class Racing Series in Le Grand Bornand.

7 September, 2026, by Tarquin Cooper

“I was watching them turn back underneath me,” recalls Luke Nicol. “It was quite an awesome feeling.” The 38-year-old Interlaken-based pilot is describing the moment on the final task of the SRS Ozone Edition in Le Grand Bornand in July where he found himself watching the current paragliding world champion Baptiste Lambert, from above, struggling to connect with a climb. “At that point, I realised if I can just climb La Tournette, then I’m in an amazing position. It was a...

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