Princess Charlene signs up for the daring project
Sailing a catamaran is one thing, cycling one is another. You have to be a first-class athlete to do that over a distance. Fortunately, the Principality is not short of an Olympic athlete or two – starting with the Royal Family.
Princess Charlene for her Foundation had created a water-bike race, inviting celebrity athletes to race for charity first in 2017, with the event linking Nice to Monaco. And in 2018, the success was repeated with a relay organized in Monaco’s bay.
The idea has just somersaulted to the fore again – and this time has taken on wings. It’s a revolutionary idea. Who would have thought to race from Corsica to Monaco, all 180 kilometres from Calvi to Monte Carlo on a water-bike. That really is going to be an extraordinary athletic feat. The training regimen alone to do that must be exhausting. All credit to Princess Charlene and her brother Gareth Wittstock, who head the list of competitors that are going to be racing.
This third edition of the Water Bike Challenge promises to be a spectacular sporting event. Two teams of four athletes will take turns at sea for almost 24 hours, on September 12 and 13, to complete the distance between Corsica and the Principality. A sort of 24 hour Le Mans or Grand Prix except on water-bikes powered solely by pedal-power instead of fuel-powered racing cars. Pedaling is the ultimate form of clean energy, isn’t it.
Participants of the event
The list of participating athletes is to be revealed during the summer. But already, Princess Charlene and her brother Gareth Wittstock, secretary general of the foundation, have started training in Corsica, to be able to be super-fit by September and take part in the teams. If you fly over the Mediterranean nowadays you may see Princess Charlene on a water-bike training hard.
It will be a great and exciting race and above all it’s for a great cause – children.
“My Foundation is about children who can become great adults, if we collectively show them the way forward with strong sport values and solidarity.” Her Serene Highness, Princess Charlene of Monaco.
Saving young lives through the power of sport: this is the incredible work that the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation has undertaken. As an Olympian athlete with a passion for transforming the lives of children across the world, Princess Charlene created the Foundation with the vision of ending death and disability caused by drowning.
The Foundation has touched the lives of thousands of people in diverse countries across Africa, Asia and Europe, not only by promoting water safety but by creating a platform that uplifts children through the positive values that sport embodies.
The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation helps youth from all backgrounds to face a brighter future through health.
Reportedly, since its creation in 2012, more than 730,000 people, particularly children, have benefited from the foundation’s three programs in 34 countries.
