Multi-medal winning track cyclist François Pervis adds his power to Orient Express Racing Team
by Orient Express Racing Team 30 Sep 2023 05:43 PDT
Orient Express Racing Team © Orient Express Racing Team
Orient Express Racing Team today announces the addition of another leading French sports figure to its Challenger team — track racer François Pervis will bring his experience as a top-level competitor to the table, as well as providing the cyclor* group with the energy needed to power the AC75 America's Cup race boat.
François will join the mix of top-level sailors and athletes from different backgrounds announced in July by Orient Express Racing Team: pilots Quentin Delapierre and Kevin Peponnet, trimmers Matthieu Vandame and Jason Saunders, and the existing power group of sailors Olivier Herlédant and Tim Lapauw, crossfitter Maxime Guyon, and rowers Germain Chardin, Antoine Nougarede and the Verhoeven brothers Rémi and Thibaut.
Cyclors know watts what
Power on board the AC75 is supplied by people not by machines, so the quartet of sailors (pilots and trimmers) are joined by cyclors, people who have the capacity to produce the watts necessary during a race and manoeuvres.
Killian Philippe, Sports Science Coordinator and coach, said: "To sail an AC75, we must produce and maintain power in the accumulator, to achieve this we have identified target power values per athlete over a 20-minute race, plus maximum power required during manoeuvres, where we need explosiveness over a few seconds.
"The athletes we have selected are real human batteries and meet endurance and explosiveness requirements. The rowers and CrossFit athletes are all well-built with great aerobic capacity, which is quite rare, and they have a mentality of steel, capable of enduring monotonous work with heavy training loads.
"As for track cyclist François Pervis, he's going to give us a big boost in terms of cycling, biomechanics and optimising angular velocity on the pedals. We're also going to require his expertise when it comes to the development of on-board bicycles".
François Pervis, a cyclist who loves a challenge
François Pervis, a French track cyclist specialising in sprint events, has won seven world track titles (four in the kilometre, two in the keirin and one in individual speed) and a total of 17 world championships. He also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games and the 2020 Paralympic Games. Since December 2013, he has held the world record over a kilometre distance (56'303).
A man who welcomes a challenge, François currently holds the European recumbent bike speed record of 139.88 km/h, and has set his sights on beating the world record in the discipline.
When he was approached by Killian Philippe, the Orient Express Racing Team coach, it didn't take long for the Mayenne native to agree to join the squad.
François Pervis: "I'm extremely proud to be joining the group of cyclors that will power the AC75, the boat in the next America's Cup.
"I see a number of similarities between my background as a track cyclist, my world record on a streamlined recumbent bike and the AC75. It's all about speed, carbon, power, marginal gains, aerodynamics, surpassing yourself and optimising performance. Everything I love!
"But it's a new challenge for me, as I'm completely new to this world. Yesterday I was lucky enough to get out on the water and see the AC40 in action. It was incredible to see it rise and fly over the water. All of us in the power group are looking forward to 2024 and getting onboard the AC75 - to contributing our know-how and experience and to performing as a crew. It's going to be another great human, collective and sporting adventure!"
In 2023 and until the delivery of the AC75, currently under construction in Vannes, the power group is focusing on its physical preparation so as to be ready.
Killian Philippe: "Each of them has an individual training programme. We meet regularly in Barcelona to work together and help the group integrate with the rest of the team. Coming from a variety of backgrounds, they need to understand each other's jobs and roles, as well as getting to grips with the world of sailing and regattas. So there's a lot of sharing."