The 51st edition of the WinterWedstrijden (WW) is just around the corner, officially kicking off the Dutch rowing season. The five km time trial, which takes place on the Delftse Schie, is also the first race of the TxMiller First Year Classification (EJK). In this ranking, first-year teams compete for first place in the competition, which will be rowed over 11 races. The WW is organised by Proteus-Eretes in charming Delft, which is also the home base of D.S.R.V. Laga. The race is known for the harsh winter weather conditions it brings at this time of year. Last year, this led to some tension when the race almost had to be cancelled, but fortunately, that was not the case. There is no need to worry about that this year, as the weather forecast is green, with temperatures around 3-6 °C. Although the course is relatively straight, the first-year coxswains will be tested on their steering skills at the few bridges that the boats will have to pass. In recent years, this has occasionally gone wrong.
Since the first-years have not yet proven themselves on the water, I will base this preview of the men´s first-year eights on the Dutch Indoor Rowing Championships (NKIR), the Concept2 Ergometer Championships (CEK), and the results from the previous year. The NKIR, which was rowed on an RP3 rowing machine for the second year in a row last December, promised to be spectacular. After rowing two km and several rowing machines breaking down, Laga crossed the finish line with a time of 6:18.30, followed by Nereus in a close second place with a time of 6:18.59, after which Aegir took third place on the podium with a time of 6:25.26. Although Laga was in first place right after the start, it remained tense until the last second. The counterpart to the NKIR is the CEK. This ergometer competition was established after the NKIR switched from the traditional Concept2 ergometer to the RP3. This change made it difficult for many clubs to continue participating in the NKIR. Of the six teams divided into two pools, Skøll took first place with an impressive time of 6:35.7, Njord finished four seconds behind, and Skadi took third place with a time of 6:42.3 at the CEK. In 2025, Nereus came first, Njord second, and Skøll third in the WinterWedstrijden in the HEJ eight field. Interestingly, Nereus came fourth at the NKIR that year, Skøll won the CEK, and Njord came second in the same race.
Prediction
Because it is the first race, some eights were still coxed fours during the ergometer races, and with the progress made since then at international training camps, among other things, anything is possible, and anyone can take home the victory. If I had to bet on the winner of the 51st edition of the WinterWedstrijden in men´s first year eights, I would —yes, I know, very cliché — put my money on Nereus. The club from Amsterdam has won the first-year classification for six years in a row and consistently fields a top crew. I would assign second place to Laga after their impressive results at the NKIR, and for third place, purely based on a gut feeling, I would go for Njord.
