After a long, hot summer, it was time for the Winter Series of talks to begin, with the customary cheese and wine evening. We were also joined by Matt Rossiter, who spoke about his experience of making the move from Olympic rowing to the world of cycling. Not your average cycling, though – becoming a cyclor for the Americas Cup yacht Brittania. Joining Ben Ainsley’s team was too big an opportunity to miss, so Matt made the switch in sport.
He may have done some sailing as a child, but still took the RYA level 1 dingy course as part of his initial training. Fortunately, his role didn’t require extensive sailing knowledge!
The cycling position on board wasn’t designed for comfort, or visibility, as their role was to provide the power for the hydraulics which were used instead of winches. This meant the cyclors were effectively sat in a small box with minimal cooling or airflow, to ensure the aerodynamics weren’t compromised.
Team Ineos Brittania made significant steps forward compared to their previous performances, but were ultimately beaten by the New Zealand team.
10th September 2025