A week of special training in preparation for Euro Masters 2023

Here’s something for your diary:  16 – 22nd July 2023 in Bergerac. This is a rare opportunity to improve your fitness, technique and strength in the context of an international Masters event, with individual support from two outstanding coaches – John Hale and Ali Boileau

John and Ali will give you new insights. You will learn about what a heightened awareness of the core can do for your leg-drive; and why it can be helpful to visualise of the power of your legs as balanced pistons. Posture, breathing, cadence, balancing intensity, recovery – these aspects will be covered also.  On top of the essential base-building of endurance and power, their focussed approach will enhance your rhythm, flow and efficiency on the water.

Why Bergerac?

This stretch of the Dordogne river is a great rowing environment  – good water and light river traffic. The town is very rowing-oriented, and their club is currently the most successful in France. The Chez Boileau house, where the course will be based, has its own boats and bikes, direct access to the water, a training room and a yoga studio.

The surrounding countryside provides famously good cycling, which is why the Tour regularly comes this way. You can, for example, measure your performance on a nearby Tour de France Cat four hill which has an intensity and length similar to a sculling 1k for masters.

The coaching team

John has rowed and sculled at the top GB levels, and has coached at all levels.  With a background in engineering, he has a profound understanding of how to make a bike go faster and can teach you this, as well as showing you how to set up your bike for even further gains. He has won numerous events on both bike and boat: and so have many of his pupils

Ali is an all-round coach with a special interest in Masters training and injury recovery. After a serious car-crash in 1998 he was told that his rowing career was over: but he went on to  win gold in single, double and quad at both British and World Masters events. He also trained in India as a yoga instructor, and now teaches both yoga and sculling in London and the USA as well as in France. His latest trophy is a gold from the Nottingham Regatta Masters single event in April 2023.

Rita is an all-round yoga teacher currently based in Bergerac who is also a first-rate cook. She will be providing wholesome Ayurvedic-inspired food for participants, as well as offering additional Yoga and functional mobility training.

We hope you’ll join us in Bergerac on 16^th July for an enjoyable and useful week. Contact us now.

The EURO MASTERS Regatta takes place in Munich 27 – 30 July 2023