From the right track to the right tack
From the way Simon van Velthooven goes on about the importance of horse power or weight and speed over water, you can tell he’s well schooled, or at least getting there, in the art of sailing.
One of the new additions to the Team New Zealand America’s Cup crew, van Velthooven is what he calls a trail blazer, having switched from the New Zealand track cycling programme to join the sailing outfit.
A year ago, van Velthooven was trying to earn a spot in the New Zealand Olympic cycling team, now he’s one of the new grinders on the Team New Zealand AC50 boat, which is trying a revolutionary cycling crew to power the boat, rather than traditional grinders, who use their arms.
The Manawatu 28-year-old and the rest of the crew arrived in Bermuda last week and he said before they left they were keen to get out on the water and see how fast the boat can go before the competition proper starts next month.