Video Of The Week: Training and Racing with the GB Men's Eight



This week's video comes to us courtesy of 2012 Olympic gold medalist Alex Gregory. The footage is from the GB men's eight's tour of Australia prior to the first World Rowing Cup in 2013, which took place on the 2000 Olympic rowing course in Penrith, and it gives an inside view of what it's like to train and race at the highest level. Highlights include double Olympic gold medalist Pete Reed's utter disregard for proper bike helmet fit, as well as the man, the myth, the legend, Jürgen Grobler himself, driving the van with the athletes to the course. The outcome in Australia saw the GB crew take the gold, setting the stage for what would be a bit of an up and down season in the eight, but one that finished with a world championship title—the first for both Team GB and Grobler in that boat category.

Fast forward to today—the GB men's squad is in South Africa on training camp, gearing up for the 2014 racing season, and while his bike knowledge might appear a bit up for grabs at the moment, Pete Reed hasn't missed a beat when it comes to beach muscles. That's right—the Press Up Challenge (#PUC2014) is in full swing (for the Americans in the audience, that means 'push up'), and Reed is leading the way.



While no doubt a good many people are fully engaged in the #PUC2014 to date, there are some big questions looming.

While the polar vortex may be chilling the majority of the U.S. to the bone, coastal camps are helping many of the country's Northeastern and Midwestern teams to thaw out their winter training—and hey, if you're going to the beach anyway, you might as well throw in a few push ups for good measure.

Thanks to everyone who voted in our reader poll! We're already hard at work behind the scenes to make RR an even better resource, and your input is much appreciated.

Have a submission for 'Video Of The Week?' Shoot us an email at rowingrelated [at] gmail [dot] com, send us your suggestions via Twitter, or get in touch via our Facebook or Google+ pages.

-RR

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