On the weekend of the 28th of January, both men’s and women’s First VIII’s travelled down to Ely for some side by side competition with Cambridge University Boat Club as they prepare for the upcoming Boat Race. The opportunity was a great honour for both squads as never before has DUBC been invited down to partake in the Boat Race fixtures, a testament to the athletes’ recent successes at head races and regattas. It was enormously valuable not only in terms of racing experience but also in establishing personal networks between athletes and coaches. As a result, we hope that this marks the beginning of a regular event in the DUBC annual calendar, perhaps even spilling out onto the tideway in future years.
As for the racing itself, Cambridge unsurprisingly demonstrated their strength and speed immediately. Our men’s First VIII raced the blue boat over two 3km pieces, performing admirably and giving the Cambridge crew a bit of a dogfight down the Ely straight. Likewise, the women’s First VIII came up against a strong coxed four comprised of half of the Goldie boat as the Cambridge women were unavailable due to internal testing. Although victory belonged to the light blues that weekend, our men and women put on a promising display of speed that will be readily built upon into the final head races of the season and into the summer months.
We are very grateful for the efforts of our coaches, Rob and Will, for organizing this event and being responsible for the transport of equipment. Additionally, we thank CUBC for accommodating our athletes and we wish them all the best for the Boat Race. For our athletes back in Durham, however, it’s back to the grind with GB u23 trials coming up as well as BUCS Head, WeHorr and Horr. It’s a busy time here at DUBC but an exciting one no less.
