On the first weekend of November, once again one of the classics of the Dutch rowing calendar is scheduled: the November Vieren. This weekend, hundreds of coxed fours and quads will travel to Amsterdam to square off between on the Amstel.
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Men’s Elite coxed four
Triton
The standout team in the men’s elite coxed-four this weekend is undoubtedly Triton. With the newly crowned world champions Pieter van Veen and Eli Brouwer as the stroke-pair supported by two strong bowmen from the club’s senior group, the boat has all the right ingredients to cover the four kilometres very quickly.
In addition, Pieter and Eli won this event last year and came in second the year before, competing against crews consisting solely of national team rowers.
This makes Triton the favourites to win this event at this 55th edition of the November Vieren.
Nereus
The men from Triton will not have an easy ride to victory, as Nereus has also entered a strong boat. With a crew that has started the season strongly, with three of the four men winning the student event the Amstel Beker and with Jaap Worm and Floris bij de Weg winning the elite pair at the Tromp, the crew has shown that it is in good shape early in the season.
Prediction
For me, the big favourites this weekend are the men from Triton, partly because of their history with this race in recent years. Behind them, I expect Nereus to be the best of the rest and take second place.
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Men’s Elite coxed quad
Okeanos
In a field with only three entries, it is Okeanos that seems to have entered a fast four. With a combination of the strong Oeds Blom and Kevin-Lee Bieshaar as stroke rowers and the (formerly) lightweight rowers Erik van Eijck van Heslinga and Cornelus Palsma in the bow, this boat has a wealth of experience aboard in both the single and at international tournaments.
Nereus
Their biggest competition will come from the Amsteldijk. This boat from Nereus is the four I mentioned earlier in this article, as they will also be competing in the intermediate coxed four. I expect them to perform better as a quad than as a four, as they have a lot more (international) experience in sculling. Zeno van Rijn came fifth in the quad at the Junior World Championships, and Willem Stoop came fifth in the quad at the U23 World Championships. This is the first race they will start that day, so they will have fresh legs.
Prediction
Okeanos has the best chance of winning, in my opinion. They have entered a crew that often rows together, and individually, all the rowers have performed well in recent seasons. Behind them, I expect Nereus to come second.
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Men’s Intermediate coxed fours
Skadi and Njord
When looking at the entries for the men’s intermediate coxed fours, the large number of entries is eye-catching. No fewer than 25 intermediate fours will be making their way to Amsterdam this weekend.
Skadi and Njord are the main contributors to this fleet of fours, with five and four entries respectively for these clubs. Whether this quantity will translate into results remains to be seen. Neither club has entered fours at the Tromp Boat Races, so their ranking cannot be known from their results this season. Judging by results from previous seasons, I do not expect either of these clubs to come out on top, as the boats contain relatively inexperienced rowers.
Nereus
The club that won this field last year, Nereus, has entered a crew again this year. Although none of the rowers were part of last year’s winning crew, this crew will still be aiming for victory. With a crew that includes TalentTeamNL member Beer Florijn and winner of the U23 single at the Tromp James Graham, the team has a wealth of experience aboard.
The only question is how fresh this team will start the race, as they will start in the men’s elite coxed quad earlier on the day.
Prediction
In a field filled mainly with second-year rowers, I expect that Nereus’ experience will secure them the win despite their fatigue.
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Men’s Intermediate coxed quads
Thêta/Proteus-Eretes
The team that Thêta and Proteus-Eretes are sending to the November Vieren this year is perhaps the most overqualified intermediate team in Dutch rowing history. Although this is a bold statement, the team does have a serious claim to this title. With a stroke and a two-man who are both in the TalentTeamNL, the foundation is strong. Bow Olle van Bohemen has often proven his strength and has been sent to several U23 World Championships and a World Cup.
While these are three very experienced rowers, by far the most experienced rower of the bunch is number three. Andrew Gaard is an American rower who was on the American national team in 2022 and 2023. His impressive list of accomplishments includes silver at the U23 World Championships in 2019, gold at the U23 World Championships in 2018, gold at World Cup III in 2019, a fourth-place finish at the Senior World Championships in the eights in 2022, and multiple podium finishes at the American University Championships in the University of Washington’s first eight.
With all this experience on board, victory is almost inevitable for this boat.
Nereus
The main challenger to Thêta/Proteus will be Nereus. They have plenty of experience in junior rowing, with Willem van den Eerenbeemt finishing fifth twice at the Junior World Championships and Klaas Baud clocking fast times in the single as a junior, resulting in several national championships.
However, this team has little experience in the senior field when it comes to bigger sculling boats, as they normally focus on sweeping.
Prediction
Thêta/Proteus-Eretes are the outright favourites and something crazy would have to happen for them not to win. I also expect them to set a faster time than the elite field, making them the fastest boat this weekend. Nereus is the favourite for second place.
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