Records fall in Lake Geneva Tour

The 34th running of the Tour du Léman, the Tour of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, lived up to 160 kilometres worth of expectations. Throughout the race three records were under threat. In the end two records were broken – the mixed category (at least two female rowers) and the masters.

This year the Anglo Irish Bank 34th Tour du Lac attracted 95 rowers from seven countries: Germany, England, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland. In this mix were several national team rowers including Germany’s Tim Grohmann, twice junior world medallist, Axel Schuster from Germany’s lightweight four and Irish national teamer, Dave Heffernan,

For the first time Irish rowers took part in the Tour with a boat made up entirely of women a composite crew from the Parrs Priory Rowing Club and Dublin’s Commercial Rowing Club.

A 9am cannon shot started the race with perfect conditions facing the crews.

After 12 hours and 22 seconds of sustained and intense effort, the German team (RGM Dresdner RV/Dresdner RC) of Alexander Törpsch, Axel Schuster, Gregori Kjulbassanoff, Stephan Schulze and Tim Grohmann, achieved a fantastic victory and carried off the prize for the second time in as many attempts Their time issecond best time in the history of the Tour du Lac.

The German team nearly beat record, but fate ended up playing a part. Just 20 km from the finish, the boat got entangled in a fishing net which lost them a considerable amount of time. An extraordinary final push, at a stroke rate varying between 30 and 36 strokes per minute for the last 15 km, failed to recover the lost time and gain the course record.

Then just 11 minutes later the German crew’s compatriots, the mixed team of RGM Karlsruhe RV Wiking/Mainzer RV (Imke Ludwig, Sybille Roller, Mathias Auer, Olaf Behrend and Markus Neumann) crossed the finish line after having managed to keep in touch with RGM Dresdner RV/Dresdner RC throughout the 160 km race. This effort smashed their old record for the mixed category by more than 36 minutes, a record they had established in 2004 after also finishing second behind Dresdner RV.

The second record fell when Ludwigshafener RV (Mathias Decker, Michael Decker, Andreas Orth, Stefan Reichel and Harald Sturm) finished third in 12:47:11. In his 24th participation in the Tour du Lac, Mathias Decker, who already holds the sweep boat record, beat the old masters record by 59 seconds. This record was held by Cincinnati RC/Grand Rapid RA/Community Rowing (United States).

Anglo Irish Bank in their desire, along with the organisers, to make the event more attractive decided to donate a prize of a quad yolette (wide sculling boat). This will be awarded at the 38th edition of the Tour du Lac, to the team who are first on aggregate over their three best results in which at least three rowers have taken part in the three events.

Copy thanks to Stéphane Trachsler, chairperson of the organising committee.