Power people: Emanuele Liuzzi cyclor for Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli

The ultimate endurance and high dynamic sport of rowing has been a rich seam for the teams of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup to tap for their power units and for Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli they found real talent and explosive raw power in Emanuele Liuzzi from the bustling, busy city of Naples.

At just 15 years old, Emanuele committed himself to rowing, joining the prestigious Royal Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia Club that has a history dating back to 1893, and who encouraged the young star of the future on a remarkable journey. By the age of nineteen, Emanuele was selected for the Italian national team and never looked back, winning the Under 23 World Championships in 2010 and going on to compete in some eleven World Championships, securing a bronze medal at the 2017 championships in his favoured discipline of eights rowing. In the same discipline, Emanuele represented Italy at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio – a pinnacle achievement for any athlete.

Talking about his journey from rowing to being a key member of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Cyclor Team, Emanuele said: “Before becoming part of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team I was a rower, a sport I approached when I was 15 at the Reale Club Canottieri Savoia in Naples. I liked it immediately because it took place on the water and in close contact with nature.  From 2009 to 2019 I was on the Italian national rowing team, but after the Rio Olympics, and even more so after the 2017 World Championships in Florida, where I won bronze with Cesare Gabbia and Bruno Rosetti in my favorite specialty – the Eight - I felt the need to make a change in my sports career. I have always liked sailing and thought the America's Cup grinder position might suit me, so I sent my CV to Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli applying for a role. After a series of physical and aptitude tests I joined the team and had the privilege of competing in the 36th America's Cup - presented by PRADA in Auckland in 2021; it was one of the best and most formative experiences in my life.”

Emanuele sees a symbiosis between training for the AC75 and his days on the rivers training for the Olympics in rowing as he says: “The type of training required in the America's Cup is not totally new to me. When I was rowing, in fact, my second workout of the day consisted in running and biking to improve my aerobic threshold, so cycling is not a new discipline. Rather, it is the physical effort during the regatta that changes, because there are different power peaks. Paolo Simion joining the team was very useful because as a former professional cyclist he helped us optimise our endurance and improve our pedalling efficiency; he also taught us how to pace our power during a long and prolonged effort.”

Keeping in top physical shape on the boat, especially in the warm Mediterranean summer months in Barcelona is something that all the elite cyclors are adapting to. For Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, the team have undergone an outstanding programme to compensate, and Emanuele gives us an insight saying: “The summer in Barcelona is extremely hot, we were prepared for this. As cyclors we lose a lot of fluids in training and racing, so we take great care to replenish them to always be 100% efficient. During each training session we drink 3 to 5 litres of water, and after that every 40 to 50 minutes we supplement with minerals and energy bars. We also try to cool our body down during sailing breaks.”

Emanuele is clearly revelling in his role and thoroughly enjoying sailing on the aesthetically beautiful Luna Rossa AC75 but it’s a relentless, power hungry boat and it’s something that he is well aware of, saying: “Racing as a cyclor on the AC75 is incredible, because during the race you are able to produce enough adrenaline to not feel too much fatigue and then the effort required is never constant, there are also different power peaks required depending on the type of opponent you are up against. It’s different from the last Cup, today it is more complicated to see what is going on around you, because, for aerodynamic reasons, we have to stay very low and focused on our role and can’t distract ourselves in any way.”

Staying in peak condition throughout the upcoming Preliminary Regatta and into the Louis Vuitton Cup is what all the cyclors are targeting and Emanuele is honest about the demands saying: “At the end of the day we are tired: the wind, the seawater, the sun, the heat and also the position, they take their toll on the body, but it's normal, it's part of our work, and what matters is to always be ready with our energy. We do some bike activity every morning to warm up and be ready to get on the boat, even at the last moment, in case of a crew change.”

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli have looked sensational since the start of their campaign and upon arriving in Barcelona. The cyclors know that they are in for an intense summer of racing at the very limits of their physical powers, but this is a team at the very top of their game and the cyclor team are relishing the prospects and playing their considerable part in their assault on the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup.