Special thanks to friends Leven Brown and Alex Bellini; their advice and support has been invaluable.

Sigurd and Julian have been competing together in cycling events since 2005. They form a unique blend of experience and youth for this challenge. They have undertaken a London to Gibraltar cycle ride in 2006 and other sporting challenges such as climbing the highest peak in the Atlas mountains, Morocco in 2007. Sigurd and Julian have both completed ‘Ironman’ events in Nice 2007 and Lanzarote 2008 respectively.

Training for this event commenced in earnest in May 2009, when both men embarked on a grueling training program on the rowing ergometer. This followed their selection for a record breaking crossing in a 12 man US based boat which was originally scheduled for December 2009 but which had to be postponed. Sigurd and Julian have been completing an average of over 170km a week, including special sessions of 12 hours.