Raceroei Regatta 2025 – Men’s Elite Eight Preview

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The 2025 Race Roei Regatta, held outside Rotterdam at the Willem Alexander Baan (WAB), will be the qualification event for Dutch crews aiming to race at the FISU Championships. For many crews, this will be their first 2km race in the combinations they are developing for Henley Royal Regatta. The WAB is renowned for wind and rough water, and this weekend seems no different, as crews expect a light headwind.

Last year’s winner, Nereus, has entered two crews this year: a development crew and the main Temple Challenge Cup project. Their lineup is slightly different from what they fielded at the Heineken. This crew narrowly lost to Thames Rowing Club in March, and they will be looking to show some speed side-by-side with other universities in their first 2km race of the season.

Laga finished a length behind at last year’s regatta but made a strong impression with their sprint. This year, they’ve entered two crews and brought in ringers such as Amos Keijser, who finished in the B-final at the highly competitive NK-Klein regatta last month. Last year’s Laga crew broke the club record with a time of 5:29 at the ARB. Those athletes have now been split across the two current crews. Laga will be strong as they also eye The Temple Challenge Cup, but how the two crews compare remains to be seen.

Asopos De Vliet has developed considerably over the past two years. Their new senior team has shown more experience in the eight, moving up a level after entering intermediate B at the Heineken, where they finished second. With some changes now made to the crew, it will be interesting to see whether they, too, can reach international racing standards.

Notably, the event has more entries than usual, thanks to Skøll, Njord, Orca, and Gyas, who have all entered their first-year eights into the elite category for more racing. Experience is vital in young crews, and their coaches are taking every opportunity available—even when there aren’t points on offer.

Prediction

Nereus should be the favourite this weekend. After a strong preseason, they are expected to start fast and race Laga aggressively. Although Laga may still be in a development phase, its athletes appear to be spread across crews, while Nereus has established a clear first eight.