Rob Baker

Many individuals across many organisations have delivered a monumental effort to ensure this race can be held in a safe and Covid-secure manner. We are very grateful to be back on the water and to be able to race.

Being stuck inside during the lockdowns can be tricky to manage, and I know the rowers would have bitten my arm off to get back out on the water but of course for a lot of the year that simply was not possible. The team atmosphere and supportive culture certainly lifted everyone’s spirits.

The guys are all good friends, and they have a strong bond. We try and have a positive outlook on the sport. It is important that they enjoy the program, and together we create a good place to come and train.

The program is tough, and the training is tough and there are difficult decisions to be made along the way, but I think it is important that our general spirit is about being positive and fronting up to the challenge. They do a pretty awesome job at that.

Throughout this season Cambridge have committed to attacking the training. One of the big goals for us was to throw everything we could at the race no matter how disrupted the program or how little time we got to row. The guys are an extremely motivated bunch and have taken every opportunity to make the necessary improvements. I know they will continue to eke out every drop of boat speed right up until the start line.

I am optimistic we can do a great job on the back of the work we have done, and the crew is in excellent shape both physically and technically. Everyone understands what their job is and how to execute it to the best of their abilities.

The athletes have wholly committed themselves to the project and are hungry to go out and race.