In Masters racing, winning doesn’t matter much. But it’s nice when it happens …

When coaching for Masters events, I regularly remind people that winning doesn’t matter. It’s not the main point of what they are doing. What does matter is staying in the game – being a contender.
Getting fit enough to qualify for an event; avoiding and dealing with injury; maintaining and refining your technical skills; learning how to compensate for a gradual reduction in strength and stamina as you move up the age-group ladder…

Sculling with Cycling

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.

Record broken three times in one second. What’s going on?

On 15th March, Shiplake College did something incredible. They won the Schools Head of The River race, over the Championship course from Chiswick to Putney (roughly 7km with the stream) in a new record time. Not only did they set a new record: they were one of a group of three who finished within a…

Mindfulness with Oars

A short course with Leonard de Mol van Otterloo Leonard de Mol van Otterloo is a leading Amsterdam-based Mind-training coach who has been bringing his own concept of Mindfulness to bear on sports training, particularly for rowers. During the summer, Leonard visited Bergerac twice, and we had some interesting discussions about how his particular approach to…

C2 or RP3? Bring on the Putney guinea-pigs

For 10 hectic days last month I was down on the River Lot, 50 km south of Bergerac. This is the famously smooth, slow-flowing water on which so many of the world’s top rowers have honed their skills. First stop was the La Base camp at Temple-sur-Lot, where crews from the French national squads and…

How to Become a Swami

Instead of returning as usual to the parental home for Christmas 2016, I dropped everything and went back to school. This was the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course at Reith, near Kitzbühel – a famously demanding learning programme which begins every day at 5.30 am, continues until 10.00 pm., allows no meat, alcohol or coffee,…

Be careful when you compete with Pete

Here is a cautionary tale. I am writing this while recovering from running the Edinburgh marathon with my old friend Pete Goodchild on 28 May. What happened? And what has this to do with Bergerac?