DÉFI LOIRE AVIRON 2009
OULRC was invited to take part in the first edition of the Défi Loire Aviron in Nantes on the 3rd and 4th October 2009. Eights from France and the UK were invited to take in the unique event on the Loire River. Side by side racing over 500m on the Saturday seeded the crews for the 11km match race around the Isle de Nantes on the Sunday. The club sent a scratch crew of past and present athletes to represent Oxford. After falling foul to some combative continental coxing in the 500m competition on the Saturday, the crew was seeded low for the 11.3km tour de l’isle de Nantes on the Sunday. In tideway-like conditions the OULRC crew found a strong rhythm and finished a respectable 7th. I would like to thank the Cercle de l’Aviron de Nantes for organising a fantastic few days of racing and for their generous hospitality over the weekend. We look forward to competing at the event in years to come and would urge other clubs from the UK to take part in subsequent editions.
Josef Sadowski
President OULRC 2009/10
Posted at 18:41 on 06/10/2009