Three members of the Great Britain SailGP Team who were due to compete in the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix on July 30 and 31 travelled by bicycle to the event in a bid to support SailGP’s commitment to making the Grand Prix in Plymouth one of the most sustainable races it has ever staged.
The three team members, Neil Hunter, Matt Gotrel and Luke Parkinson clocked up a combined total of more than 450 miles over two days to ensure the team keeps its carbon footprint for the event as low as possible.
Hunter and Parkinson travelled 148 miles from Portsmouth to Plymouth. Gotrel undertook a massive 170 mile journey from his home in Gloucester. The trio were joined by fellow sailor Ben Cornish, who cycled with Hunter and Parkinson from Portsmouth.
On their arrival on The Hoe, the trio were greeted by Plymouth City Council s Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Councillor James Stoneman.
Neil Hunter said:
“We did about 230 kilometres yesterday from Portsmouth to Exeter, so seven and a half hours in the saddle was a fairly long day but fortunately I have been doing quite a lot of road miles recently so it was wasn’t too bad. The highlight was probably coming though Dartmoor, where my teammate Matt Gotrel was showing us the sites, so that was pretty special.
“We decided to do the ride as we felt it was a massive opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint of the event. The fact that we have got here completely under our own steam without using cars or trains or buses is great and shows what SailGP is all about.
“For us, as athletes, it shows that you can just take the initiative and think of different ways to have a positive impact. We saw it as a massive opportunity for both training physically and to reduce our carbon footprint at the event. It’s been great and we have really enjoyed it.”
Councillor Stoneman said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Neil, Matt and Luke to Plymouth as they complete their impressive cycle challenge. They’ve shown such a huge commitment to minimising the team’s carbon footprint and to making this year’s event as sustainable as possible.
“It’s incredibly fitting that this weekend they’ ll be racing in the waters of Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, a UK first and a key part of our city’s own sustainability goals as we strive for carbon neutrality.”
The athletes’ decision to rely solely on pedal power to reach the event was a sign of SailGP’s ambition to be the world’s most sustainable and purpose-driven global sport and the Great Britain team’ s commitment, alongside its’ charity partner ‘Protect our Future’ to use its platform to inspire the next generation to better understand the climate emergency and give them the tools to take positive action.
It also reflects the work of SailGP’s Impact League, which was established 12 months ago to encourage and reward actions by its participants to promote carbon reduction, sustainability and inclusivity.
Olympic gold medalist rower and Great Britain SailGP Team grinder, Matt Gotrel, said:
“Having a positive impact on the people and places where we compete is central to everything, we do at SailGP GBR. Our decision to cycle to the event is an illustration of the determination of our team to do as much as we can to act in a way that supports sustainability and clean energy and use our platform to promote this cause.”
Reflecting on the first 12 months of the Impact League, Great Britain SailGP Team grinder, Neil Hunter said:
“As athletes, we are all competitive people, so the Impact League is a great way of encouraging the SailGP Teams to think about different ways in which we can reduce our carbon footprint whilst also making it competitive and engaging.
“Cycling to Plymouth was a reflection of this and means we can use sport to provide a positive contribution to the performance of our team in the Impact League alongside reducing our climate impact.”
The event was one of the most climate positive races SailGP has ever staged. On the shore, it will be the first time in the UK that SailGP has used innovative green technologies to power the entire race village. In the water it will be trialling new electric technologies.
