New Records for Lake Leman Tour

It took an Athens Olympics silver medallist to break the record in the women’s elite category at the thirty-second Tour du Leman a l’Aviron on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Peggy Waleska of Germany rowed as part of the Dresdner Ruder Club “Frauenpower” crew. The 160 km non-stop race around Lake Geneva took Waleska’s crew 14 hours and 55 seconds. 

Sixteen crews competed with the majority coming from German rowing clubs as well as two French and one Swiss crew. German crew, the Five for Dresden, finished in 12 hours 41 minutes in their first year competing in the Lake Leman race. The Five were chased the whole way by mixed category crew from Karlsruher Ruder-Verien Wiking with the distance between these two boats never exceeding seven minutes.
 
In the process Karlsruher Ruder-Verein Wiking smashed the mixed category record by over 32 minutes, a record that has been held for five years.
 
Third place went to German crew Ludwigshafener Ruderverein who battled with fourth place masters rowers Rudergesellschaft Wiesbaden-Biebrich of Germany. The gap between these two crews never exceeded four minutes.
 
This is the longest race in Europe in a closed basin and the distance must be covered without any outside help. It has been going since 1972 with some participants having raced it up to 17 times.
 
At the traditional after-race meal many participants promised to return next year for the thirty-third edition of the Tour.

The World Rowing media team values feedback.