SPORTS SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 2014 Boat Race - slick, sponsored but still amateur

LONDON: The 160th Boat Race between the universities of Oxford over 4.2 miles. It was famously disrupted in 2012 when an anti-elit- Multi-national lineups and Cambridge takes place on the River Thames in London tomor- ism protester Trenton Oldfield swam between the boats, forcing Amateur or not, the Boat Race line-ups have impressive CVs. Three row, an event rich in tradition-and well-worn accusations of profes- the race to be re-started. Cambridge holds the historical edge at of Oxford’s nine competitors are Olympic medalists and there are a sionalism. The Light Blues of Cambridge and the Dark Blues of present, with 81 wins to 77 by Oxford. Although the race now has handful of junior world champions. Rupert Wood, a teenager who Oxford have been training on the Thames since last weekend, the global appeal and a major US bank for a sponsor, the Cambridge rows for Dulwich College, a private school in London, was watching crews carefully avoiding each other. Tomorrow, hundreds of thou- crew insisted it had lost nothing of its tradition-and its amateur sta- the teams go through their paces-and dreaming of one day taking sands of spectators will line the banks of the river to watch the two tus-in their eyes. part. “This is the old question, do these students get admitted for their crews composed of eight rowers and a cox. “Things changed in the nineties with the sponsors. Both univer- rowing talent or for their intellectual capabilities? Some of them may But taking a break from intensive training this week, both crews sities have recruited professional coaches, physiotherapists, biome- be there thanks to rowing,” he conceded. Tomorrow, only two Britons were keen to stress that there is more to their lives than rowing-and chanics specialists and dieticians. But the rowers are still amateurs. will take part, alongside six Americans, two Canadians, two New that the rigorous academic standards of Britain’s two most presti- They’re not paid,” said Chris Baillieu, who won the race with Zealanders and a German. Nothing new there, said Chris Baillieu. “It gious universities apply to them too. “Sometimes I just can’t train Cambridge a record four times in the 1970s. As proof, he said he was already the same 40 years ago. There have always been foreign- them because they have too many things to do,” Cambridge coach was putting up the Cambridge rowers at his home, in contrast to ers. They don’t come only for rowing,” he said. “Our German is study- Steve Trapmore, who won a rowing gold medal for Britain at the the luxury hotels of professional sportsmen. Technology has made ing for a PhD in theoretical physics.” Steve Trapmore is convinced that 2000 Sydney Olympics said. dramatic changes to the race over the years, with wooden boats if the sponsorship ended and the corporate hospitality tents no So it’s a pre-dawn start to fit in the first training session. “We replaced by fibre-glass. The rowers’ bodies have undergone a trans- longer came, the race would go on. “The race would still happen if wake up at 5.30 am. We train around 3-4 hours a day. We row 25 formation too-this year the Cambridge team averages 1.97 meters there were no TV and no sponsors. It’s two crews trying to beat each miles a day,” said Cambridge captain Steve Dudek, a 25-year-old (6.6 feet) in height and 92 kilograms (203 pounds), roughly the other. And that’s what it’s all about,” he said. True to form, asked what American. After the morning session, the rowers rush to lectures, same as their Oxford rivals. “A long time ago, they trained for two or were the differences between the two crews, Trapmore could not then it’s back on the water in the afternoon before hitting the three months,” said Trapmore. “Now, they start training in October. resist giving a partisan answer. “The only difference,” he said with a books again. The Boat Race was created in 1829 and is now rowed It lasts six or seven months.” smile, “is that Cambridge is better.”— AFP

LONDON: In this file picture, the Oxford University boat crew (left) pull ahead in the closing stages of the race to beat the Cambridge University crew during the annual boat race on the River Thames in London. The 160th Boat Race between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge takes place on the River Thames in London tomorrow, an event rich in tradition-and well-worn accu- sations of professionalism. — AFP

Racing Spring Classics Vintage bids set to explode

PARIS: Some of the greatest cyclists in the self on the gruelling Spring Classics, start- to emulate Red Rum world will begin the battle for the main ing with the two Northern Classics on the Spring Classics when the cobbles: Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. LIVERPOOL: Tidal Bay can become the first top weight could cause him problems. However, his amateur rider gets underway tomorrow. The likes of In reality, the Spring Classics began since Red Rum in 1977 — and, at 13 the oldest horse in Sam Waley-Cohen is a master over the fences and Fabian Cancellara, and Peter with Milan San-Remo a few weeks ago over 90 years-to win the world’s greatest steeplechase, showed that again on Thursday when riding in the Sagan will be among the favourites in and last weekend’s Gent-Wevelgem but it some of the oldest and most prestigious is only with the advent of the Flanders- the today. Tidal Bay, who would be the colours of his father Robert he guided Warne to victory races on the professional cycling calendar. Roubaix double on successive weekends same age as Sergeant Murphy when he won in 1923, in the amateurs Grand National, The Foxhunters Chase While the Spring Classics cannot match that these historic races really kick into will face 39 rivals including former 2011 Cheltenham for his third win in the race. Waley-Cohen, who has a the prestige of the , they gear. Cancellara, Boonen and Sagan come Gold Cup champion Long Run over the fearsome 30 good record in the National having finished second, can surpass it in terms of excitement. And into these two races having already fences, which despite being modified over the years fourth and fifth in four starts, said he believes his gal- they do so with a largely different cast. stretched their legs and showed their still represent the greatest challenge in jumps . lant little horse will take to the fences. Tour champion Chris Froome as well as form at San-Remo, where Cancellara was Tidal Bay has got better with age and this season he specialists such as Alberto second, and Gent-Wevelgem, where has finished third in the Welsh National and a fine sec- Headgear not required Contador, Vincenzo Nibali or Nairo Sagan was third and Boonen fifth. Sagan ond in the . While his previous foray in “I think the size of the fences and the fact they are Quintana won’t be there challenging for also won E3 Harelbeke and that makes the National saw him get only as far as the 10th fence, something he’s never seen before will help with his victory but the fields are no less impres- him the favourite in terms of current form, trainer Paul Nicholls, who won with Neptune Collonges concentration, I don’t think he’ll need any headgear,” sive for their absence. although his two main rivals have the in 2012, has always believed in his chances and his said the 31-year-old, who is a dentist by profession. “It’s Swiss Cancellara and Boonen, of experience and history to ensure they can jockey Sam Twiston-Davies dismissed the doubts con- a race that has been very kind to me and as Long Run Belgium, as ever, will start as two of the never be overlooked. cerning him as being too old. “Tidal Bay is no normal has had such an impact on the life of everybody in our main favourites having claimed between But it won’t just be about those three 13-year-old,” 21-year-old Twiston-Davies told BBC family, it would be amazing if he could win it.” For them 12 of the last 18 editions of Flanders as several other riders have showed their Sport. “It wouldn’t worry me at all about his age and Henderson the National represents the one major race and Paris-Roubaix since 2005. Of the six potential. German sprinter John what the statistics say. His form is very solid. He was he has yet to win despite going close on several occa- occasions when it wasn’t either who won, Degenkolb won Gent-Wevelgem and will second in an English Hennessy, then an Irish one. “If sions and the 63-year-old has another live contender in three times it was one or the other’s team- be confident if he can last the pace over anything the handicapper has given him a bit of a Triolo d’Alene, who won the top class Hennessy Gold mate who did so. Their main competition the 260km of either De Ronde or the Hell chance.” Cup last November. Waley-Cohen for his part believes this time around should come from of the North to be still in with a chance Long Run should give Tidal Bay a run for his money Teaforthree represents the greatest danger, and a Slovak , a hugely talented when the line approaches. Alexander at Aintree, but the Nicky Henderson-trained horse has decent run in the Gold Cup suggests he can improve cyclist who has already won the Tour de Kristoff won a finish at San Remo looked a shadow of the class act he was in previous on last year’s third place behind outsider Auroras France green jersey twice and is tipped to where British sprint king years and his tendency to go in low to ordinary fences Encore. —AFP one day take an overall triumph at a went too soon and could finish only fifth, Grand Tour. But first he must prove him- while Sagan was down in 10th. —AFP