News Around the World
taken it if we’d had a couple more years to refine it all, but it obviously worked for the Cup.’ With the introduction of the AC75 class for the 2021 Defence
in Auckland, the Protocol outlawed cyclors. That might have been a cue for Van Velthooven to exit stage right. Instead, he took up the challenge to reshape his body for conventional arm-powered grinding duties. ‘I bought an arm grinding machine and went to the gym… a lot. Luckily there is no real skillset for producing power either way – you just have to turn handles.’ To an elite athlete those qualities can be found by setting goals
and pursuing them with sheer grit and repetitive training. ‘It is just a question of time. The more effort you put in and the more you train the better your results will be when you step up for a trial. Luckily I had a good trial and beat a few people who I did not expect to beat.’ The team took him on again and Van Velthooven was head down
in the pit, furiously spinning the handles to muscle the AC75 round the track, adding a successful Cup defence to a successful challenge
rides on the road compared with huge hours in the gym on an arm grinding machine. That is one of the big advantages of the bike, being out in the fresh air. There were a lot of hours arm grinding in the gym, watching movies…’ Although Van Velthooven is fully invested in this physical trans-
formation he is open to the possibility that cycling might not be the ultimate choice, even though ETNZ design chief Dan Bernasconi has all but publicly committed to the concept. Given the success of the cyclor system in Bermuda and that crew numbers under the new protocol reduce from 11 to eight, it would seem a foregone conclusion that cyclors are the way to go. During the Bermuda regatta it was touted that legs cranked out
about 30 per cent more power than arms. ‘That is a pretty high number,’ Van Velthooven comments. ‘After arm grinding and seeing the numbers some of the guys put out it was pretty impressive. We would need to do a solid analysis from the Auckland campaign. Then we will see if legs are the correct choice. Or it could be we do something radical and look at going down a different path... ‘From a technical point of view there is room for improvement
over what we did in Bermuda, but the bike itself has been developed for over 100 years. The body position, the seating, chain, sprocket and crank development have all been going on for a long time, but no doubt there are still marginal gains to be found everywhere. ‘We could go to recumbent bikes, or there may be other variations
that enable you to put out more power. Every Kiwi loves dreaming up new ideas! There are experts who know more than me but you add what you think you can contribute. Obviously I had input in Bermuda. You always think out loud within the closed doors of the team and everybody here makes a contribution.’ Power, however, was not the only benefit of the cycling system.
Using legs freed up arms and hands to perform other functions. Blair Tuke, for example, controlled the foiling height while pedalling through manoeuvres, while Josh Junior and Andy Maloney kept their eyes out of the boat adding valuable tactical input. However, the team were always clear that cyclor power alone was not the winning factor in Bermuda, nor will it be in the next Cup regatta. Apart from the readmission of cyclors the Protocol stipulates
broadly welcomed changes that will improve performance and also create cost-reduction opportunities. The crew reduction and elim- ination of the bowsprit, running backstays and code zero sails reduce weight by close to 1,000kg, which with the addition of larger wingspan foils will improve light-air lift-off and speed. Teams will be limited to building one new AC75, but will compete
Cheer up, mon ami, you’re winning the Transat Jacques Vabre. Spanish sailor Pablo Santurde del Arco, Antoine Carpentier’s co-skipper on TJV Class40 winner Redman makes a reluctant study as he tries to focus on enjoying his lunch. Like Class40 runner-up Banque de Léman, Redman is a Manuard-designed Mach40.4 scow built by JPS Productions in La Trinité sur Mer. The top half of the Class40 fleet averaged around 10kt over 5,500nm of sailing – more than impressive given that for much of the course they were drifting around at 5-6kt… and often less
for a rare two-from-two result on his rookie sailing CV. ‘It was nice being part of a full campaign from start to finish this time. ‘I enjoyed the change to arm grinding and found it really rewarding.
I also had a few other jobs on the boat but mainly it was just about producing max output.’ Now, with cyclors back in the mix, Van Velthooven is revelling
in being back on his bike, reshaping his body once again to prepare for the Cup defence. This radical reshaping of bodies for different athletic functions is not uncommon at the elite level. When rowing gold medallist Rob Waddell came into the America’s Cup as a grinder for the 2003 Kiwi defence his physical transformation from lower body to upper body strength was astonishing. Then he switched it all back again to return to rowing. ‘I feel like a bit of a triathlete at the moment,’ Van Velthooven
laughs, ‘trying to figure out which sport you like the most. Arm grinding was fun but I am excited to be going back to legs. It has reinvigorated my passion for biking. It is nice to get out for training
30 SEAHORSE
in preliminary regattas with new AC40 yachts, which can be modified for testing and development programmes but must return to one- design configuration for racing. The AC40s will also be used for a Youth America’s Cup and a Women’s America’s Cup regatta. Well, that is the current plan. Other innovations in the Protocol include more transparency,
with shared reconnaissance programmes and a commitment to allow fly-on-the-wall documentary filming throughout the campaigns. This is with a view to emulating the highly successful Drive to Survive Netflix series, which has been shown to widen the Formula 1 fanbase by as much as 30 per cent. Following the release of the Protocol the next milestone was the
1 December opening date for challengers to lodge their entries. RNZYS Commodore Aaron Young initially declined to identify the teams, but confirmed that three teams plus the Challenger of Record, Ineos Team UK, had entered (the third team was confirmed as Alinghi Red Bull Racing at a press conference in Geneva a couple of weeks later). ‘Needless to say the email and phones were busy!’ said Young.
‘In my view this is a very positive outcome given the hard work the RNZYS and ETNZ have put in since March 2021. It shows that the America’s Cup is, after more than 170 years, still the “one” you want to win in our sport. There will always be critics of any protocol and what things might look like, but that is what is unique about the America’s Cup: to make the rules first you must win! ‘Also, we should remember that we haven’t had more than five
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