[Closed] So Sir Wiggo is gunning for 2k Rowing gold..

He was looking very bulked-up in the last photo on his Twitter:
[img] [/img]

Impressive dedication

Despite the asthma.

Well, he's clearly got the cardio ability and the training dedication mindset. Rebecca Romero did pretty well going the other way...

Rebecca Romero did ok switching.

EDIT 13 seconds!

Will he now be OK to lift the suitcases off the carousel when they go on holiday?

It's indoors and winter which is good, no pollen for that pesky hay fever......

Impressive transformation from his Twiggo days!

What's the testing regime in rowing like ?

Will be an interesting benchmark. Personally, having been a lightweight rower a long time ago, I don't think he'll get to the technical proficiency on the water. It's not as easy as "riding a bike".

Is 2K an endurance event in rowing though? IN track endurance is basically anything over about 2 min, but on the road, it's a different game.

Awesome, despite his constant detractors getting all flustered.

Glad he’s applying dedication to another type of sport, I think he needs to keep applying his tenacious mind to keep motivated. Bulking up, well I saw him recently in Manchester and my word he’s changed.

Just announced he's participating at the World Indoor rowing championships in the 2k.

Personally, having been a lightweight rower a long time ago, I don't think he'll get to the technical proficiency on the water. It's not as easy as "riding a bike".

But he wasn't a very good technical rider anyway. A hint of rain and he went downhill like the road had been smeared in butter. He'll probably fall off his rowing machine if it drizzles. 😀

When I was at uni at the sport freshers fayres we, the cycling club, would bring a bike on a turbo, and the rowers an indoor machine - we were the only two clubs that got close to each other's own standards and it was mostly just technique that let us down when doing the opposite sport.

Stevet1 - Member

Just announced he's participating at the World Indoor rowing championships in the 2k.

That's a helluva long swimming pool, or is he going round one of those lazy rivers?

It's the same track as the velodrome - they just flood it.

That'll really confuse the flat-earthers. And everyone else.

What's the testing regime in rowing like ?

Used to be non-existent for indoor rowing.

[url= http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/british-rider-dan-staite-banned-after-testing-positive-for-epo-58577 ]Dan Staite got caught doping cycling[/url], but also holds a few indoor rowing records, which I assume were also drug assisted.

You remember when Lance came back from retirement after his doping allegations in order to prove he was winning clean? It's like he has something he needs to prove to himself to overcome historic guilt.

As a rower..I can tell you that the indoor times mean nothing if you can't get the technique right in a real boat. Its not instinctive, minimum of 6 months to get the basics. It's a non story until he's had a year on the water and is capable of competing with the elites. So the real headline is - former olympic rider is a beast in the gym..shocker

You remember when Lance came back from retirement after his doping allegations in order to prove he was winning clean? It's like he has something he needs to prove to himself to overcome historic guilt.

d!ck

Despite the asthma.

lol 😀

But he wasn't a very good technical rider anyway. A hint of rain and he went downhill like the road had been smeared in butter. He'll probably fall off his rowing machine if it drizzles.

I'm not feeling the lurve for wiggo on here! 😀

I'm not feeling the lurve for wiggo on here!

But he wasn't a very good technical rider anyway

Maybe not the best descender in the wet, but World Madison Champion and top 20 Paris Roubaix both need amazing technical skills.

I wasn't being entirely serious, but argue away if you want. 😛

I like him - he's got character. Not convinced he was clean though.

Oh I think he was clean - in the sense that nothing he took was prohibited. But There are various values of clean here.

Good luck to him. Our club is full of ex-rowers beasting the numbers. And of course there is [url= http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/two-time-olympic-rowing-champion-wins-national-time-trial-medal-305719 ]Hamish Bond [/url]from NZ!

No one going to post their PB then?..

No one going to post their PB then?..

6:59.7

One of the most distressing experiences of my rather modest sporting life 😆

I was never very good at the 2k preferring the 5k but 7:18 was my PB for the short distance. At 6ft but 75kg I was also always on the cusp between lightweight and heavyweight so am wondering where wiggo will sit on that scale.

I started out cycling, switched to rowing at Uni and then reverted back. Not long into my cycling post uni I did a lactate test and the coach said "You'll do well. Cyclists and rowers both know how to suffer...."

Use the rower occasionally in the gym to warm up and my right hand still has the twitch (I was bow).

Managed 6:58 once. Once is enough. It hurt.

I remember doing it to Prodigy, firestarter, then Breathe.... I needed the reminder.

Maybe not the best descender in the wet, but World Madison Champion and top 20 Paris Roubaix both need amazing technical skills.

Must be time for my fave Wiggo moment..

Our club is full of ex-rowers beasting the numbers.

Thames Valley is bloody full of them! Regularly find myself competing against ex olympic rowers in local time trials.

About 16:40 for 5k but a normal morning was more like an hour sitting on one of the bloody things at a more sedate pace. I used to think ergs were boring until I discovered cycling and turbo trainers.

6:42 here back in 1998 - dropped down to 73kg to get myself top of the lightweight category in the gym in which I worked. I threw up then passed out. Knocked me to shit for a few days that did.

Last time I tried I was 8:10 after a 15 year break but sadly now 100kg of asthmatic lard.

Wiggo will do well on an indoor rower - about as close to a mind numbing time trial as you can get - the ability to pace yourself along with good technique and a big engine is key.

I used to be an 80kg rower with a best 2k of 6.24. Would have been nice if I had a few kilos to lose to become a lightweight. No doubt Wiggins has the capacity to pull some good scores but I do doubt if he'll ever get very far in a boat.

OK it's 500m but that Shawn Baker is incredible. 1:14 at age 50...

I used to pull 6:20, before back injury forced retirement.
Agreed with the sentiment above, being an erg monkey only gets you so far, the hardest part is applying it efficiently to the water. Be interesting to see how he gets on.

6:40 at ~70kg. Got beaten by a couple of seconds in our gym's challenge, by a bloke weighing several stones more than me (apparently he was surprised to find how small I was - we took the best time off each other a few times, but never met).

I always wondered how I'd have got on on the water with that - I've spent a lot of time in racing boats going in the opposite direction, so ought not to have too much problem with the balance, though clearly the technique is completely different.

Sub7 2k eludes me 7:20 PB. I don't have enough of the right technique to keep the high speed up for long enough.

10k is my thing. PB of 38:30 a few years ago, but now have to battle to get below 39:00. I've always been LWT, but have lost a few kgs lately and it shows.

7:03 was my best and a 10k of 38:35

That was 10 years back though.

Idiot question - doesn't the time depend on the resistance setting / machine brand?

In the same way as gears on a cycle. 10 is like 10th, it's a hard pull but each pull pulls harder, but fatigues the muscles more etc.

Idiot question - doesn't the time depend on the resistance setting / machine brand?

All Concept IIs self calibrate, so should all be equal regardless of resistance setting.

No idea about other makes.

Wow, a few sub 6:30 STW pullers, impressive.

Just logged in to my ancient C2 profile to check my PBs..

500m - 1:30.9
2k - 6:58.5
5k - 18:17.8
10k - 37:52.3
HM - 1:25:46.3

Not bad for a chubster

Quite fancy a rowing machine to sit in the garage - what's the machine to go for balancing budget, quietness and data outputs?

what's the machine to go for balancing budget, quietness and data outputs?

Standard answer is Concept 2. It’s quite reasonable to hire them and i’ve done that for a few months over winter a few times. Think it was less than a tenner a week and I don’t think there was any minimum term, just called them up when I was done with it. Quite like a water rower too but if you want to know how you compare then it’s a Concept 2.

Edit... they seem to have added admin fees of about 50 quid a hire since I did it last.

Not sure of exact time - 7mins+/- few secs either way.
At 60kg with stick man arms its fair to say rowing is never going to be my forte

Quite fancy a rowing machine to sit in the garage - what's the machine to go for balancing budget, quietness and data outputs?

They are very large - look small in a gym, then you buy one and realise they're 7' long...

Sold mine to my local gym as it took up way too much space.

They are very large - look small in a gym, then you buy one and realise they're 7' long...

Water rower was good for this. When not in use you just lift it up and it stands on end not taking up not that much room.

I was sub seven minutes in my prime which was long after coming off the water. I used to row 50km per week all on level 3. Spinner on the bike and off! Much more fun than a turbo!

My locally gym is 5 mins walk away so I just use the one there. Always can get on as they seem less popular than other equipment.
Some of the times on here are amazing, I'd have to train pretty hard to break the 7 barrier.

I did it in 1993, when it was 2500m. Anyone have the results from that year? Google has failed.

Wife's concept C folds up, is ok now the corner of the room where most of the bikes live.

Mrs is more likely to zwift nowadays though, she retired from competitive rowing when the kids came along. As a sport it took up shed loads of time, living closer to the boathouse would have been a big help....

slimjim78 - Member

Wow, a few sub 6:30 STW pullers, impressive.

Just logged in to my ancient C2 profile to check my PBs..

500m - 1:30.9
2k - 6:58.5
5k - 18:17.8
10k - 37:52.3

From back in 2003!

500m - 1:28.9
2k - 6:57.8 (Right at the point of throwing up)
5k - 19:08.9
10k - 41:49.2

Not an endurance rower 😕

I was 94kg then and training 5 times a week. The very thought of that level of effort these days in my 50's would kill me + I'm 20kg more in weight & its not muscle as it was then

Out of interest: given there aren't many hills on your average river, how does weight affect rowing? Or are the weight classes more based on the assumption of 5% bodyfat, and if you then weigh 95kg it's clear you're a beast?

@mogrim - much the same way it works on pancake flat cycling courses - more bulk = more power = more speed. Guess there has to be a limit somewhere that cardio struggles to supply blood/oxygen to the increased muscle mass - i'd suggest somewhere around the weight of olympic rowers.

Cheers, basically what I thought then 🙂

Thames Valley is bloody full of them! Regularly find myself competing against ex olympic rowers in local time trials.

At the Mallorca 312, me and my mate started chatting to a pair of women who were there doing the 167km distance. They were a couple of years older than us (I'm 46) and both pretty decent - one especially so considering she had a larger frame (i.e. tall and proportioned rather than overweight).

Turned out she rowed for GB in the 84 Olympics.

This thread has inspired my to take a look at my PBs from a few years (also 2003) ago:

2K 6:32
5K 17:26
10K 37:02
HM 1:19.01
M 2:47:22

I just used it as something to stay fit on at the gym, although I did get a bit addicted for a while... I was always a few kg too heavy to be a lightweight. Just like on a bike I was much better at long distances.

I still occasionally go on a Concept2 when I am staying in hotels. 2K nowadays is probably about 7:20ish.

Ergs don't float...

PB, as a lightweight and set in winter (2005/6), was 6:38. These days I tend to avoid them and just scull/cycle instead.

9:10 for 2,500 back in '95 @ 66KG, think that's about 7:20ish for 2k. 7:35 last week at 73Kg, 48yo now though but could do a bit better 🙂

I've never done a wheelie one though like [url=

Shaw[/url]

[quote=fifeandy ]@mogrim - much the same way it works on pancake flat cycling courses - more bulk = more power = more speed. Guess there has to be a limit somewhere that cardio struggles to supply blood/oxygen to the increased muscle mass - i'd suggest somewhere around the weight of olympic rowers.

Though it's not quite that simple if you're on the water rather than an ergo, and not quite as much advantage as with cycling, because more weight makes the boat sit lower in the water and creates more drag. Hence there is also a disadvantage to extra weight for on water times:

http://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/training/calculators/weight-adjustment-calculator

I think I was actually a few kg lighter than I suggested above when I set my time - based on 67kg I get a weight adjusted time of 5:50 (and working backwards that's an ergo time of 6:30 for a max weight lightweight) - how does anybody else compare?

I'd trained a fair bit (biking, used the rower as something different) and iirc was about 152lbs. my time adjusted to 6:08