The 52nd edition of the BCGE Tour du Léman à l’Aviron took place on Saturday from the Société Nautique de Genève.
The “eNeRGie BaWü” crew won on a course modified due to unfavorable weather forecasts.
Geneva, September 29, 2024 – The 52nd edition of the BCGE Tour du Léman à l’Aviron brought together eighteen teams, or 88 courageous rowers this weekend from the Société Nautique de Genève.
The race took place on a course reduced to 140 kilometers (instead of 160) due to weather conditions: competitors turned back at Rivaz and stayed along the Swiss coast, less exposed to waves.
The German crew “eNeRGie BaWü” took victory after 10 hours, 55 minutes and 03 seconds of intense effort.
They beat their direct rival, the Swiss crew “44West”, by 19 minutes and 23 seconds.
“eNeRGie BaWü” is once again the winner, having already won the previous edition under the name “R.O.W”, but with 2 different crew members.
It was the third victory in a row for three of the team’s members: Markus Müller, Matthias Auer and Michael Ehrle.
” It was a tough race and we didn’t think we could turn it around, because the 44West team was really fast at the start,” said Mark Müller at the finish. ” We had to replace one of our team members at the last minute because he was ill.
Another rower came from Stuttgart yesterday to race with us. “The “44West” crew was in the lead for two-thirds of the race.
Off Lausanne, they were still eight minutes ahead of the “eNeRGie BaWü” team, but the latter gradually closed the gap.
The two leading teams then battled it out for a dozen kilometers.
Team “44West” then took all the risks by rotating their crew while the others continued to row.
One of them fell into the water, and that’s when victory was decided.
The “44West” rowers took advantage of the BCGE Tour du Léman à l’Aviron to complete one last long-distance race, this type of race being quite rare, before embarking on their Atlantic crossing record project next year.
In the Novice category, it was the “Sausende Seegurke” crew who took victory, and finished third overall.
In the Masters category, the “Warp 5” team won, while the “No pain au chocolat” team took victory in the Mixed category.
The Organizing Committee’s decision to shorten the Tour was well accepted by competitors.
” The early arrivals told me they were very happy with our decision,” said Stéphane Trachsler, President of the Organizing Committee. ” They could see what the weather was like on the other side of the lake, and they were all delighted that we stayed on the Swiss side where it was more pleasant to row.
It was a complex edition for the organizers with all the weather insecurity.
Fortunately, we had a close-knit team to organize the event, and I’d like to thank them warmly.
A big well done to all the rowers who took part, and see you next year! “This edition featured a total of 18 crews, including one women’s team and six mixed teams, representing seven nationalities ((SUI, GER, FRA, GBR, NED, BEL, TUR).