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Just 2 days left until the Bosbaan becomes the scene of international rowing spectacle again! According to the current forecast, it will be a very sunny weekend with temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius. If you do come and visit us at the ‘Costa del Bosbaan’ this weekend, don’t forget to bring a water bottle (easy to refill with tap water), sunscreen and a hat! If you unfortunately can’t visit us at the Regatta this year, you can follow the races via the livestream which we will make available online. 

Can’t wait until the racing kicks off? Us neither! Find out below who we believe are the ones to watch this year! 

Ladies Trophy 

Almost doubling the number of entries compared to last year, this year the Ladies Trophy has a record number of 23 entries. We have to go back to 2013 and 2014 to find more than 16 entries in this event (both years there were 21 entries).  Amongst the 23 athletes are some of the best rowers of the world, including (former) world champions and Olympians, so we’re expecting some spectacular racing this weekend! 

Unfortunately, last year’s winner Ria Thompson (AUS) is not here to defend her title. However, one who is back to win is the single sculls Olympic champion: Emma Twigg (NZL). She already won the Holland Beker back in 2016 and 2019 (WRC III Rotterdam) and claimed the 2014 world title on the Bosbaan as well! Twigg has not raced internationally yet this season, but she is without a doubt one of the favourites for this weekend.

The Dutch National Team has not really raced at Dutch regattas for quite some time, so we are honoured and beyond happy to have a large part of the Dutch rowing team racing at the Holland Beker this weekend. We are sure that Roos de Jong and Martine Veldhuis will be strong contenders to claim the Trophy.  Veldhuis is back in her beloved single after an outing in the W4x at the European Championships. With her efficient rowing and her skills, she is on our list for the A-final. De Jong has to race without her partner in crime (and our ambassador) Laila Youssifou, but we are sure that she is more than up to the task. 

Another athlete worth to keep an eye on is Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne (GBR). A talented rower from the British team who gave birth 11 months ago but is already (successfully) back to racing. With that spirit, we believe she will definitely be one to reckon with! Cara Grzeskowiak (AUS) won the Championship 1x at Women’s Henley last Sunday, and will compete against Hodgkins-Byrne at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta next week. The Ladies Trophy races will be the perfect opportunity for both to feel the waters and see where they are at. Whilst they are at it, they might even snatch the Trophy. Ida Görtz Jacobsen (DEN) is an experienced rower who we believe might be the ‘outsider’ to watch!

Strong competition is to be expected from some U23 athletes. For example, Mazarine Guilbert (BEL) is having a fantastic season so far and is determined to prove to the Belgian coach that she deserves a spot in the team for the World Championships. She might come in short of the overall victory given the names mentioned above, however, with her determination she might make it far!  

Last but not least, we want to mention three athletes travelling from far. First, Olympian Alejandra Alonso Alderete (PAR). Second, the youngest contender in the Ladies Trophy: Nicole Martinez Gonzales (PAR). Third, Chloe Ahixsa Callorda Bordacosta (URU) who participated in the U23 World Championships last year. We expect all of them to have to row a very strong race to compete with the rest of the women in this field. 

Battle of the mighty lighties

A thing that stood out to us when going through the entries of both the Ladies Trophy and the Holland Beker, is the high amount of (former) lightweights who have entered these events. Perhaps the nearing of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the subsequent demise of lightweight rowing are encouraging these athletes to show their guns and see where they stand in the open weight field. One thing that we know for sure is to never underestimate the efficiency and power these athletes bring to the water. 

For the Ladies Trophy we are keeping our eyes on above-mentioned Veldhuis (NED), Eva Hofoff (GER). and national team spares Elizabeth Martin (USA) and Georgia Miansarow (AUS). In the Holland Beker it’s Hamish Harding Damien George Schroder and Blaine Heseltine (all AUS) who are battling it out against inter alia Lennart van Lierop. Fun fact: van Lierop started out as a lightweight rower and switched back and forth between weighing in and starting in the open weight category until just a couple of years ago. Maybe these Aussies will pull a ‘Lennart Surprise” and beat him and the other top favourites on Sunday. 

Holland Beker

Unfortunately, last year’s Holland Beker winner (Callum Dixon, GBR) is not coming to tropical Amsterdam to defend his title. However, with 22 entries, the field is packed with some of the best single scullers in the world. Whilst for the Ladies Trophy we believe the fight will be between a good mix of national and international athletes, we expect that the Holland Beker will go to a Dutchman. 

Our number one favourite is Lennart van Lierop (NED). He surprised the entire rowing world with victory at the European Championships a couple of weeks ago. We are for sure expecting some magic from van Lierop this weekend as well.  However, fellow Dutchman Simon van Dorp is taking over Lennart’s place in the single sculls for the World Championships. Van Dorp has some big shoes to fill, but racing against van Lierop, and the other talented athletes in this event, will be a good test run. We definitely see him as a contender for the podium. 

Two other Dutch National Team rowers who are our favourites to claim the Holland Beker are Melvin Twellaar and Stef Broenink. Used to racing together in the 2x, this weekend they will compete against each other. Both have showed excellent results in the single at World Championships, with Twellaar claiming the silver medal at the 2022 edition and Broenink rowing a strong A-final in 2019. As to which one of this iconic duo will outperform the other, we do not are make any predictions. What we do know is that both of them have a high chance of walking away with the Holland Beker in the end. 

Moreover, you should not rule out Dutch comeback kid of this weekend: Tone Wieten. He was part of the golden Dutch 4x that dominated the 2020 Olympics. He has recently proclaimed to give it a final shot after missing out on last season due to a back injury. Although he might not be the top-favourite, we for sure expect him to show his determination and skill on the Bosbaan this weekend. This could reward him with a podium finish! 

With the clash of the titans mentioned above, you would almost forget the other talented rowers coming from all over the world to participate. Don’t worry, that’s why we mention them here! First, as mentioned above, we expect the Aussie lightweights to do very well. Next, we want to welcome back Privel Hinkati (BEN). He rowed to the 3rd place in last year’s C-final and we are sure that he hopes to improve that score this year! Third, we are curious what the younger contenders can bring on water. There is a good mix of ex-junior and U23 World Championship participants that could very well challenge the established names above. 

New timetable online on Tuesday
Entries for the Koninklijke Holland Beker are closed. A new (temporary) timetable can be found here. We will keep you updated about the schedule and draw so you can finalize your weekend planning.

You can win prizes again this year. For the Holland Beker and Ladies Trophy event at the Koninklijke Holland Beker (both men and women) the prize money* is as follows:

• Gold medal €3.000
• Silver medal: €1.500
• Bronze medal: €750

* The prize money will only be awarded if at least three contestants from the Tokyo Olympics compete in the specific event

The merch is back and the webshop is open! Get your orders in now so it will be on time before the event.

The webshop is filled with baselayers, unisuits and warm-up jacket!

At the event site we will have a stand with the merchandise so you can try on your favourite item in the correct size.

This year at the Saturday of the Holland Beker the decisive races of the Development Classification will take place and the crews topping their classification event will be awarded a prize at the end of the day. So, what is this Development Classification exactly, and which events are a must-watch on Saturday afternoon?

The Development Classification is a special event for crews made up of intermediate level athletes*. The final classification is made up over 6 regattas during the Dutch 2k-season (April-July). At each development event during a regatta a crew can score points based on the result they achieve in the race. There are seven categories (M4-, LM4-, W4-, M2x, LM2x, and LW2x) in which the different crews can compete. Points are awarded to the crews based on their result at the regatta. The crew which comes first is awarded 10 points, the second crew 8 points, etc., until the 9th crew who gets the final 1 point. In the end, the crew with the highest total score, wins the overall classification**. The interim standings of the Development Classification can be found here.

As mentioned above, the Holland Beker is the final regatta for this classification and we expect some tight and fierce races. Keen to watch these events at the Holland Beker? Look out for the ‘Dev’ category in the events listed on time-team.com! For example: the event Ddev4- is the event for the Development W4-, and LHDev2x is the event for the Development LM2x. Cannot wait? We have got you covered with a preview of what to expect below.

Preview M4- (Hdev4-)
In this event it is the crew from Orca 1 which has a solid lead of six points over the crew from Skadi. With Orca 1 having won 4/6 races, and Skadi just one, it seems that Orca 1 has the best chances to take home the big prize after the Holland Beker and is certain to walk away with a top-3 finish! However, the gap to that top step of the podium can still be bridged… Maybe more exciting in this event is the fight for the final podium spot with just 1 point separating the crews Njord 1 and Triton. Triton will have to go all out in order to make up for an expensive 0 point result last weekend, but can still bump Njord off that third podium spot. With the top-three of each category being awarded a prize during the prize ceremony on Saturday afternoon, this is definitely still worth the fight!

Preview W4- (Ddev4-)
Just two weeks ago it was an ex aeqo between the crews of Orca 1 and Laga. Both crews have won multiple races and came in second (or third) in the other races. With 3/6 wins for Orca 1 it is this crew from Utrecht that is currently in first place overall. However, Laga will for sure be keen on getting back at that top spot and getting their bowball in front of the ‘ Utrechters’ at the Holland Beker. If they do, it might be a complete ex aeqo. Normally, the crew with most race wins will then be appointed as the overall winner, but if Laga wins, both crews will have won 3/6 races! We are definitely excited for this one! As it stands, Phocas has the best chance of grabbing that final and third podium spot, but do not rule out the crew from Groningen, Gyas, just yet!

Preview LM4- (LHdev4-)
In this event, technically, all top-four crews could walk away with the big prize after the Holland Beker. However, it is the crews from Theta and Laga that have the best chances of actually doing so. Where two weeks ago it looked like Laga was the best contender, tables have turned and it is Theta leading the overall classification. However, with both crews on 2/6 wins, the Holland Beker for sure will be the decisive race. The third place is currently in hands of Triton, but the boys from Skøll can still claim their spot if they put down a solid race just like last weekend during the Northwave Regatta.

Preview LW2x
This is the only event where the first spot has already been firmly decided. Only if this crew scores 0 points at the Holland Beker, and if Aegir wins the regatta can Triton still lose out on the overall win. However, having won every race so far, we expect this crew to row to victory one more time and take the big prize back home to Utrecht. Aegir has a 7 point lead over the Skøll 1 crew, which makes Aegir the best contender for that second place. The girls from Skøll 1 will have to give it their all, in order to keep the third place. As it stands, the crew Asopos de Vliet 1 is only 2 points behind them. Based on past results, these two crews seem tightly matched, with Skøll 1 having the slight advantage of outperforming the girls from Leiden 3/5 races.

Preview W2x
This event is definitely the closest fight with only 1 point separating the top-2! With the combined crew from Okeanos/Skøll having won 2 races, we are not ruling them out from taking over the overall win on the Holland Beker Saturday afternoon. The third place is currently in hands of the crew from Saurus. This crew won the first race of the season, but has since struggled to find their pace. However, they find themselves solidly positioned in that third spot and could still take the second place! Definitely an underdog we will keep our eyes on.

Preview LM2x
With 4/6 race wins, the crew from Laga is (almost) certain to claim that big prize at the end of Saturday afternoon. Things will have to go topsy-turvy for Laga in order for the crew Argo 1 to bridge the seven-point gap to first place overall. Argo 1 also has to watch out for Okeanos 2. This latter crew being only 4 points behind can still take over second place overall. The crews from Triton and Nereus are currently tied at 24 points for that fourth place, and will have to row the race of their lives (much like Lennart van Lierop becoming the European Champion in the skiff) in order to claim a podium spot!

Preview M2x
In this event the current top three could be scrambled after the race on Saturday afternoon, and even the Skøll crew in fourth place could find themselves on the podium. The first place is currently in hands of Proteus-Eretes 1, but runner-up Njord is only three points behind. Following closely, just 2 points behind Njord, is the crew Laga 1. The crew from Triton, who won the first race of the season, will have to settle for a spot outside of the podium. Again, everything is still possible and the Holland Beker race will decide which crews end up on the podium and which spot they will take!

*Typically, rowers in the Development event are second- and third-year student-athletes. However, this is not necessarily the case. Crews competing in the development events have to meet the intermediate rower level criteria, so technically, also fourth- or fifth-year athletes can join these events, provided that they have few prestation points that determine their rowing level, or if they form a crew with athletes so that the total of prestation points of a crew does not exceed 10 points (for 4- events) or 5 points (for 2x events).

*Note that the worst result of each crew is deducted from the total of points scored.

We are looking forward of welcoming you all at the 2023 edition of the Koninklijke Holland Beker. When you are going to visit the Bosbaan this June, please take attention to the following:

Car

Because of different events in the “Amsterdamse Bos” on June 24 and June 25, we kindly ask you to take a different route to the Bosbaan. From Highway A2, take exit 9, “Amsterdam-Buitenveldert”, and take a left onto S109, “Europaboulevard”. Take a right onto “Van Nijenrodeweg” at the Shell gas station. Drive straight for 3 kilometres and find free parking available on your right.

 

FIH Pro League

In parallel with the Koninklijke Holland Beker, a field hockey tournament will take place at the nearby Wagener Stadium. This will cause significant traffic congestion at the intersection of the “Amstelveenseweg” and “Van Nijenrodeweg” and the start of the “Bosbaanweg”. When planning your visit to the Koninklijke Holland Beker, we kindly ask you to try to avoid arriving by car in the following time windows:

• Saturday, June 24th: 13:00 – 15:00.
• Sunday, June 25th: 13:00-15:00.

Bicycle

There are plenty of bike rental shops located throughout the city of Amsterdam. It is also possible to rent a bike at the train station “Amsterdam Zuid” for €4,45 per day. You can check the availability here. Cycling time from the station is around 9 minutes, and bikes can be parked next to the main entrance.

Public transport from Amsterdam-Zuid

The nearest bus stop from the Bosbaan is Amsterdamse Bos and can be reached from two nearby stations:

From metrostation “Amstelveenseweg”:
Bus 347 to “Uithoorn Busstation”.
Bus 357 to “Aalsmeer Busstation”.

From trainstation “Amsterdam Zuid”:
Bus 348 to “Uithoorn Busstation”.
Bus 358 to “Kudelstaart Bilderdammerweg”.
Bus 247 to “Uithoorn Watsonweg” (only on Monday-Friday).

For up-to-date information on public transport in Amsterdam, check out 9292.nl

Boat trailers

Designated parking for boat trailers is available along the “Koenenkade”. It is NOT permitted to park boat trailers in the area around the boat sheds and changing rooms.

We are in full swing of preparing the Koninklijke Holland Beker 2023! But, it’s always good to have a little recap of the previous edition. How fast did your favourite crew go? Where did your own squad place again?

You can find the full results on time team.

See you in June!

The 2022 edition of the Koninklijke Holland Beker was a great succes. We created a impression of the event which you can check out below.

 

See you next year!

That’s a wrap. It’s a cliche, but Sunday was once again funday. The day took off with the skiffs of the lightweight men and -women. Japan, Great Britain, Portugal and Belgium were all represented in the women’s heats. The LM1x field saw many national talents competing, of which Brian Poll (Theta) and Martijn van den Berg (Euros) finished first in the morning heats. In the end the LW1x title went back with Olivia Bates to the UK and Brian Poll took the LM1x-title back to Eindhoven. After the lightweight single scullers, the morning was filled with junior rowing. The JM1x consisted of no less than six finals, meaning 35 juniors appeared at the start! Klaus Baud (Willem III) was the fastest of them all. In the JW1x we saw Jente Jongsma (Nereus) racing to victory.

The Holland Beker semifinals brought some unexpected results. In semifinal 1, Kjetil Borch crossed the 500m line as third, with Callum Dixon (UK) close behind him. Ahmet Rapi (Sweden) took the lead for the first 1000m and also Martin Helseth (Norway) started strongly, being the second crossing the 500m and 1000m line. After 500m, Borch had to give away his third position and ticket to the finals because Callum Dixon (UK) decided to step up. By doing so he passed the Norwegian. His extra pushes resulted in a second position after crossing the 1500m line. There, Rapi fell back to a third position and Helseth took the lead. You can imagine that all these swapping positions led to an enervating final sprint. The athletes gave everything they had. In the end it was Dixon who crossed the line first and let the three Scandinavian competitors finish 1-4 seconds later. It was Kjetil Borch who took the shortest straw and was condemned to Final B. In semifinal 2, Marc Weber took the lead after 1000m and kept it during the whole 2k. Lars Lipman (Laga) and Eric Talens (Euros) also claimed a spot for the finals, which were to be continued in the afternoon.

Preparing for the finals left enough room for speculation. Callum Dixon, who already had the fastest time in the semifinals, indeed went home with the Holland Beker, congratulations! It was a very close call with the German Marc Weber, who decided to give everything in his final sprint, but was not able to close the gap anymore.  

The battle of the crown also continued for the female rowers, who all had their eyes on the price. While in the heats Ria Thompson kept quiet, she now blew our minds by immediately claiming the first position. The bronze medalist (women’s quad, Tokyo 2021) was just a size too big for Rebecca Wilde and Minke Holleboom, who were the number two and three on the podium respectively. They can however be extremely proud as they finished both within 8 seconds of the Olympic-medalist. Congratulations to all of them.

Lastly, the winners of the Dutch Nationals require an honorable mention. All the races for the Dutch Nationals took place within 30 minutes of each other, with the M4x, LM4x, W4x, LW4x and W8+-titles up for grabs. First to cross the line was the Orca/Skøll/Nereus/Njord-combination. This crew will be allowed to enter World Cup III in two weeks in Lucerne and they lived up to the expectations. Another crew that will race World Cup III is the LM4x-combination of Laga/Gyas/Dudok van Heel/Triton and as was to be expected, they claimed the title. The W4x was won by the combination of Njord/Theta/Nereus/Laga. Interesting to note, as all the other quads were combinations, but the winning M4x was all Nereus and they were clearly crushing their field. Last but not least, the W8+ was won by another combination, this time comprising Proteus-Eretes/Skadi/Laga/Theta/Okeanos/Njord. 

To all the competitors, visitors and volunteers of this weekend we wish to say a big thank you. We hope we will see you all next year, we will already place our order for two days of perfect weather. To all the winners of this year’s edition we want to say congratulations, it was a pleasure to watch you all.

With all that said, thanks again and hasta la vista!

Ready. Set. Go. The Koninklijke-Holland Beker 2022 was finally back in full glory this morning. While the sun needed some guidance with finding the Bosbaan, the rowers were shining bright and early. Racing took off with the M4- heats, where the Skøll/Skadi/Orca combination was the fastest crew. Rowers Martijn Bos, Stijn Wieling, Jorn Salverda and Daan Klomp have already put themselves on the map this year with some excellent performances during national regattas and today they showed off during the KHB. At the end of this week, the crew will travel to the UK for the Henley Royal Regatta and they appear to be in good shape. The first medal of the day goes to the LM 2-, where a Brazilian pair triumphs. More victory went to Brazil when also the M2- crossed the finish line first. 

In the Holland Beker, Kjetil Borch (Norway) had a rough start of the morning, as he didn’t instantly claim his spot for the next round. Callum Dixon from Great Britain took the lead in the heat with Borch and easily ensured his place for the semifinals. In the repechage however, Borch managed to finish first, so we will see the Tokyo silver-medallist tomorrow again in the battle of the Holland Beker. Next to Borch, no less than four Dutch rowers made it to the semi-finals tomorrow, after having proved themselves in the repechage. Apart from Borch, we will see more competitors from Scandinavia that will appear at the start of the Holland Beker semifinals as we have Martin Helseth (Norway) and  Ahmet Rapi (Sweden). The battle for the Holland Beker will resume on Sunday a little before 11:00h, so make sure to check our livestream or to come enjoy the ambience on the Bosbaan.   

When looking at the Ladies Trophy, we noticed it were our neighboring countries who showed off, with Rebecca Wilde (UK) and Sophie Templitz-Heywood (Germany) claiming the direct tickets to the A-final. In the repechage, the remaining tickets for the final went to three of our fellow Dutch(wo)men and the woman to watch, Ria Thompson (Australia), bronze-medallist of Tokyo. The final of the Ladies Trophy will take place at 15:00h, so another one to put on your calendar for tomorrow (we know you are lying on the couch around that time anyway).

As mentioned, once again the KHB is hosting the Open Dutch National Championships as well. Racing was hard and fair, but in some of the events, it was not hard to declare the victors. In the M2x, Wibaut Rustenburg (Skøll) and Guillaume Turlan (France) crushed their field and claimed the title very quite convincingly. Another notable mention is the FISU-eight, who claimed the Dutch title in the M8+, by racing to a respectable 05:38,10. Given the example by Wibaut, more rowers from Skøll raced to the National Title. The W4- was a full Skøll-crew and the proud winners of today’s race. The M4- crew that already showed off in the morning also had 2 Skøllies on board, and they went home with the title. Another notable highlight of the Open National was the LM2x, where a boat of Willem III made a hell of a fight with the boat from Great Britain. The boats continued to swap places during the races, but in the end the English had the final say and can boast about their Dutch National title. In any event, congratulations to all the winners!

For now, we’ll take a short break. We hope to see you all tomorrow at our beloved Bosbaan.