1000 € για πάγκοσμιο ρεκόρ στην κωπηλασία εγομέτρων.

Cash for new World Records at Ergohead

29/01/2013 - 11:38:00

The incentive of 1000 euro for whoever set a new indoor rowing World Record was enough to get the fly-wheel spinning fast for Roel Braas of the Netherlands and Steffen Bonde Jensen of Denmark at the Amsterdam World Ergohead.

Bonde, Mendes and Tycho Muda going head-to-head at the 2013 Amsterdam World Ergohead ©Amsterdam World Ergohead

The challenge for competitors in the Ergohead was to see how far they can go in 20 minutes and in the open men’s category Braas went 6443m, an average split of 1:33.1. In the lightweight men’s category Bonde set a distance of 6196m which is an average split of 1:36.8, keeping a steady stroke rate of about 31 strokes per minute throughout the 20 minute piece.

Bonde competed in a heavily stacked field with Portugal’s Olympic lightweight double of Pedro Fraga and Nuno Mendes racing. Fraga finished second with a distance of 6179m and Mendes was fifth with a distance of 5943m. Fraga and Mendes were fifth in the lightweight double sculls at the 2012 Olympic Games.

The Dutch Muda twins, Tycho and Vincent finished third and fourth respectively in the lightweight men’s category with Tycho clocking 6068m and Vincent achieving 6020m.The Muda’s competed at the London Olympic Games in the lightweight men’s four where they finished sixth.
Both Braas and Bonde raced at the Ergohead a year ago and both broke records then as well. Last year Braas made 6433m while Bonde went 6156m to claim the then World Record.

Roel Braas collects his prize money having set a new 20 minute World Record time on the ergometer at the 2013 Amsterdam World Ergohead ©Amsterdam World Ergohead

Braas would now like to go after the one hour indoor rowing World Record which was set in 2012 by Eric Murray of New Zealand. Braas considered the Ergohead as a good warm up for the one hour challenge.

The Amsterdam World Ergohead began in 1997 and was originally a 6km race. Then six years ago it was changed to a 20 minute race to enable competitors to finish at the same time.