That time of year again. No thread yet?

Must be bloody freezing on the river today. Loving the BBC coverage.

Hopefully eight v eight this year rather than last year’s eight v seven.

Wimps the lot of them. Out on the river in the daylight for 15 or 20 minutes. Not like the tough nuts who raced through the night last night in temperatures which really were freezing, into a headwind, over 125 miles for 16 hours 44 minutes or longer.

I know one of the chaps who managed to do it in only 16 hours 44 minutes 😉

Wimps the lot of them.

Yes, of course.

I admire rowing for its physical brutality, but as a sport (participant) my god its dull!

Pointless fact of the day.
Cambridge boat club blue is pantone 337

Whereas Bianchi Celeste is 332

Cambridge doing brilliantly to stay in the race round the corner. They could still win this…

Not now I don’t think. They’ve lost their bend.

Looks like Oxford did something special out of the corner. They must be enjoying it.

Ruined themselves keeping up with Oxford on the bend… No hope this was over as soon as Oxford put in that push…

Loving the commentators trying to gloss over the Oxford cox effing and blinding…

Thought it was over after the first 500 myself. Oxford rowed through them at the start. Pleased for Oxford after last year.

A travesty that was.

Singing at the end wasn’t called for either. Not sure if it was crew or supporters, but let themselves down there.

A shame there wasn’t another protest but the hooray henries had the Royal Marines providing extra security. Did they pay for them?

hooray henries

Sorry, don’t understand.

Good race controlled well by Oxford. Cambridge made it hard though.

They can’t half pout Ahhhh diddums!

Aracer I forgot that was on. Couple of my old club, taunton cc, were in other as well as a university friend. Tough race, was on my list when I was into that kind of thing.

Rowing seems backwards in comparison.

Fowl mouth on that Yankee Cox!

Fowl mouth on that Yankee Cox!

He’s just trying to be down with you.

Bloody immigrants coming over here and taking British jobs.
There must of be loads of small shouty unemployed people on the dole who could do it.

Poultry?

Did someone say small and shouty?

I may have missed my calling in life.. 😆

I find it all utterly horrendous. Cheering on a load of toffs rowing a boat. Nonsense. Should be consigned to the history books or at the very least starved of any publicity. The age of deference and celebrating privilege should be long gone.

Why don’t we have coverage of Paisley univ vs Bradford college….?

I couldn’t help wondering who the sponsors were. Whoever it was they were very discreet.

Seems a lot of fuss over not very much…

I find it all utterly horrendous. Cheering on a load of toffs rowing a boat. Nonsense. Should be consigned to the history books or at the very least starved of any publicity. The age of deference and celebrating privilege should be long gone.

Why don’t we have coverage of Paisley univ vs Bradford college….?

Pleb-ball seems to be on all the time 🙂

….just 6 hours training a day, six days a week for over a year. Then a race over a course several times the length of an Oly course in unpredictable conditions. And the oxford boat having beaten team gb. Not very much indeed?!?

Deference and privilege, wow!?!?

Cheering on a load of toffs rowing a boat

And the problem is the toffs or the rowing?

I find it all utterly horrendous. Cheering on a load of toffs rowing a boat.

I presume you find Olympic rowing equally horrendous?

Why don’t we have coverage of Paisley univ vs Bradford college….?

Possibly because neither of those has a crew good enough to beat the reigning Olympic champions.

Not knocking the athletes or their commitment….as a race it seems a bit dull, may work better as a TT with some other teams…bit more of an event.

I find it all utterly horrendous. Cheering on a load of toffs rowing a boat. Nonsense. Should be consigned to the history books or at the very least starved of any publicity. The age of deference and celebrating privilege should be long gone.

😐 I take it you are not an English gentleman loddrik. Otherwise you would clearly understand the delights of river-themed activities.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQYMMsz9Eec[/video]

Agree that it can become boring once one side has a lead and the Beeb have to over-hype any event that have exclusive rights to these days. They don’t even have the National next week!

Not knocking the athletes or their commitment….as a race it seems a bit dull, may work better as a TT with some other teams…bit more of an event.

The problem is, it’s more of a traditional event now. It’s amazing how close it is to be honest, given the distance and coarse.

coarse.

I agree. Very coarse for the BBC

Class warrior? Moi?

DezB – Member

I couldn’t help wondering who the sponsors were. Whoever it was they were very discreet.

It’s the Bank of New York Mellon.

Isn’t it all a bit of a con, as the majority are professionals, not like Giles, Gideon, Rupert etc having a good old challenge against their old muckers from the rival uni.

Now you’re trying to sound posh with fancy french words 😐

may work better as a TT with some other teams

Usually, a week or so before the Boat Race, there’s the Head of the River Race which is the same course, the other way round. It was cancelled this year because of the weather, but let’s see… Back in 2012 over 3000 rowers competed from all over the UK (and quite a few from across Europe). Then the day after there was the Vets’ Head, in which nearly 2000 rowers rowed (I coxed in that one). A week before that again is the Women’s Head, in which nearly 2500 women row (that was on the 17th this year, and went ahead). Then you have the Fours’ Head (women, men and vets again, but many rowing the fours heads will also be rowing the eights’ heads). Then there’s the schools’ head. Just in case anyone would like to think that the only people racing on the Thames and being cheered on are 16 “toffs” around the end of March every year.

Back in 2012 over 3000 rowers competed from all over the UK (and quite a few from across Europe).

…Yep that qualifies for a “bit more of an event” 🙂 edit…thats a lot of head.