Power people: Théry Schir - cyclor for Alinghi Red Bull Racing

Charting the journeys of the sailors in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup is a fascinating project and whilst many of the helms and trimmers came through the elite Olympic sailing programmes of their countries to strike gold, silver or bronze medals, for others it has encompassed endurance events, combat sports or even the military.

For Théry Schir, a cyclor for Alinghi Red Bull Racing, and an incredibly popular member of the team, his journey into competitive sailing was mapped out from an early age but took a detour along the way. With a father who was a keen and successful racer, a young Théry was enrolled at a sailing school at Morges on the banks of Lake Geneva at the age of 12 and his path looked set to the five rings of the Olympics.

However, what Théry discovered was a love of cycling and competing, so two years later he switched with a refreshing honesty as he explained: “To be very honest, I have never had much success on a boat. I was not bad but at 14 I remember finding an excuse to quit sailing. My father was a little sad, but I wanted to ride a bike,” he explained. “Fifteen years later I tell myself that it was a good decision. I was able to make a career out of cycling and now I'm back at the top level of sailing. So, I feel like a 14-year-old again!”