For one day and one night, the Mediterranean will become both a racecourse and a classroom.
On 19 and 20 June, a team of elite athletes, adventurers and endurance specialists will attempt to cross 225 kilometres of open sea between Viareggio and Monaco aboard water bikes. But The Crossing 2026 is about far more than physical endurance. This year’s edition carries a powerful message as Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene join forces through their respective foundations to champion two causes that are increasingly intertwined: water safety and marine conservation.
The third edition of The Crossing will see seven relay teams navigate the Mediterranean through the Pelagos Sanctuary, one of Europe’s largest protected marine areas and a vital refuge for whales, dolphins and other marine mammals. Over approximately 24 hours, competitors will take turns pedalling specialised water bikes across open water before reaching Monaco’s Larvotto Beach.
While the athletes will test their limits, the challenge itself aims to highlight a broader reality: humanity’s relationship with water extends far beyond sport.
Princess Charlene
For Princess Charlene, the event reflects the core mission of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, which has spent more than a decade working to prevent drowning and promote aquatic education around the world. Since its creation in 2012, the Foundation has developed programmes teaching swimming, water safety and first aid, reaching more than two million beneficiaries across 45 countries.
Prince Albert
For Prince Albert II, the crossing also serves as a platform to raise awareness of the urgent need to protect marine ecosystems. The route has been deliberately designed to pass through the Pelagos Sanctuary, symbolising the importance of preserving the Mediterranean’s fragile biodiversity for future generations.
Together, the two foundations are using sport as a bridge between these complementary missions.
“As we combine sport and ocean preservation through this crossing, we hope to inspire commitment, promote the protection of the Mediterranean and demonstrate that human achievement and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand,” Princess Charlene said ahead of the event. She added that the challenge embodies values that extend well beyond athletic performance, including resilience, humility, solidarity, respect for nature and responsibility towards future generations.
The sporting field itself is impressive.
Among the participants is four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, one of cycling’s most accomplished champions. Heavyweight boxer Carlos Takam will also take part, alongside a diverse group of professional athletes, entrepreneurs, endurance competitors and long-time supporters of the Foundation.
The seven teams include familiar names from the worlds of cycling, motorsport, business and public service. Pierre Frolla, the renowned Monegasque freediving champion and ambassador of the Princess Charlene Foundation, returns as one of the event’s most experienced participants. Racing driver Francesco Castellacci will represent Scuderia Monte-Carlo, while former professional cyclists Gustav Larsson, Veronika Larsson, Filippo Pozzato and Jakob Fuglsang add significant endurance credentials to the field.
The teams will depart from the Club Nautico di Viareggio on Friday 19 June, with Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene expected to officially launch the challenge. Weather conditions will determine the exact departure time, which will be confirmed shortly before the start.
Approximately 24 hours later, Monaco’s Larvotto Beach will welcome the exhausted but triumphant competitors as they complete one of the Mediterranean’s most unusual endurance events.
Water Safety
Yet the impact of The Crossing begins even before the first athlete enters the water.
On 17 June, the Princess Charlene Foundation will organise a Water Safety Day in Viareggio, introducing local schoolchildren aged eight to fourteen to essential lifesaving skills. Led by Foundation ambassador Stéphanie Barneix and supported by professional lifeguards, the initiative reflects the educational mission that remains at the heart of the Foundation’s work.
In many ways, this may be the true finish line of The Crossing.
The athletes will complete 225 kilometres. The message, however, is intended to travel much further: that water should never be taken for granted, whether as a place for sport, a source of life, or an ecosystem that deserves protection.
For one remarkable journey across the Mediterranean, those ideas will move forward together.
