Rowing's many modes compete this weekend

This is a busy weekend for various forms of rowing challenges around the world. In Noli, Italy the World Rowing Coastal Challenge takes to the water on 2 October. Racing in specially designed coastal rowing boats the event will take place along the beach of this popular seaside resort. Teams from 10 nations will race over a loop of six or 12km.

For more information go to: www.noli2005.ficsf.it

Then across to Scandinavia, single sculling Olympic Champion Olaf Tufte will be holding his second Tufte Farmer Challenge on the family farm in Horten, Norway on 1 October. Tufte has chosen eight events that relate to farming life and to his own life. These include an erg race and a firefighter steeplechase. There is also tyre flipping, log lift, car pulling, sawing and mountain biking.

Tufte has gathered together a cross section of top Norwegian and international athletes to compete including PÃ¥l Anders UllevÃ¥lseter – Paris-Dakar bike rider, Ã…dne SøndrÃ¥l – speed skating Olympic silver medallist and member of the IOC Athletes' Commission, Knut Holman – Kayak Olympic champion and rowers; Sweden's top single sculler Lasse Karonen as well as double scullers Heidi Veeser and Marianne Nordahl of Norway.

For more information go to:  http://www.olaftufte.com

Then over to northern Germany and beginning 1 October in Rendsburg, the E.ON Hanse Canal Cup will bring together by invitation some of the best men's eights in the world. This race has been dubbed ?the hardest long distance rowing race in the world."
The Canal Cup sees three days of competition opening with erg sprints and finishing with the highlight; a 12.7km eights race. Last year 150,000 spectators watched the event. This year competitors include Germany, the United States, Netherlands, Great Britain and Cambridge University from Great Britain. Crews will be a mixture of this season's national team crew and up-and-coming rowers.
The motto this year is: ?12,700 reasons to give up, 150,000 reasons not to give up.?
For more information go to: http://www.eonhansecup.de/en/

Related Links
Preparing for this year's Coastal Challenge
Tufte Challenges Athletes to a Farmer's Life
Three Tough Canal Cup Days in Germany