Olympian’s Best Rowing Destinations & How To Train There Online
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After an incredible career traveling the world with the Dutch national rowing team, Niki van Sprang reveals his insider secrets. In this interview, the recently retired Olympic rower discusses the best rowing destinations, gives training tips and shares his thoughts on EXR’s most lifelike virtual regatta venues. Plus, he invites you to join him for an online rowing session on 17 April 2025!
Q: Niki, you started rowing as a teenager and have visited locations all over the globe. But over all these years, to what place have you been the most often?
I spent a lot of time at Lake Hallstatt in Austria, where TeamNL held altitude camps. It’s a stunning location on top of a mountain. Over the past 8 years, I spent around 50 weeks there — going twice a year for 3 weeks each time. We’d rent minibuses through our rowing federation and drive down. We always had to rush to catch the last lift up to our accommodation. The trip back usually turned into a race to Amsterdam, with rowers' competitiveness extending even to the drive — some trips had only 7 minutes of stoppage over a thousand kilometers!
Apart from this lake that’s so close to your heart, which other rowing locations will you never forget?
There are quite a few special ones. The obvious ones come to mind first: Lucerne, the Lake of the Gods, my home course in Amsterdam, and Henley. All of those are iconic. But Tokyo’s Olympic course takes the top spot. That’s where I competed in the men's coxless pair at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Henley or Boston’s Charles River?
Henley-on-Thames is just special. The Henley Royal Regatta feels like stepping into another world. It’s like a massive reunion, and for once, rowing feels like a big sport. But let’s be honest — most people are there for the atmosphere, not just the racing. The Charles River is impressive for its sheer size and the Head of the Charles Regatta is quite the event, but if any place rivals Henley, it's the Bosbaan when packed with cyclists. Imagine dozens of them overtaking each other through the grass, yelling for their clubs. In the Netherlands, club supporters bring a next-level energy: it's loud, passionate, and feels like home (because it is).
How do EXR’s virtual replicas compare to these real-world locations?
The one I find hard to recognize is Henley! Because I’m used to seeing the town during the Royal Regatta when it’s overflowing with tents and crowds. So when I row with EXR, I need to pay close attention to where I am to understand what shores I’m looking at!
Where did you experience your most epic adventure?
From a racing perspective, Munich comes to mind. Despite catching a crab after 150 meters in the 2022 European Rowing Championships final, we still won silver in the men’s eight. That’s why Germany has one of the most legendary rowing venues, in my opinion. Regarding pure adventure, the training camps in Portugal take the win. My partner Guillaume and I would explore hidden corners of a water reservoir, navigating small side arms. We’d row more than 30k for hours, occasionally adding land exploration or a 40k round trip to a dam. Long mileage training can get dull, so these mini-adventures kept things exciting.
How do you balance these explorations with structured training?
We always followed the training plan, maybe taking a short break or tiny detour, but it actually made training more effective. Sticking to a schedule is key, but finding ways to make it enjoyable makes a big difference.
EXR turns indoor rowing into a shared experience, which is rare because erging usually becomes more individual after university. With EXR, you can still connect with others, no matter where you are.
That’s what I love about EXR. Steady-state erg training can be monotonous. Movies and music only help against boredom for so long. EXR makes erging adventurous, adding variety to an otherwise repetitive movement. The app also turns indoor rowing into a shared experience, which is rare because erging usually becomes more individual after university. With EXR, you can still connect with others, no matter where you are.
Is there any regatta venue that you find particularly challenging?
Rotterdam. I knew it wouldn’t be the greatest course when a promotional video was released as the course was being built. If I remember correctly, one of the selling points was, "You can always fly your kite there, too, because there’s always enough wind." That was a red flag!
Which location in EXR comes closest to reality?
Lake Bled in Slovenia is my favorite. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve rowed. It’s breathtaking. The Alps as a backdrop, the pure water, the peaceful nature… It’s not just a river you go back and forth on — it’s a 360-degree experience that you kind of get to bring home with EXR!
In EXR, do you prefer real-life locations like Boston or EXR World?
The EXR team has creative freedom in creating EXR World with all of its fantastic sights and environments. This adds an extra level of excitement to my sessions. But there’s something special about real-life locations, mostly due to the memories tied to certain places that make them stand out. That’s why I think I will stick with Bled as the best venue in EXR.
Is there a secret rowing spot you love?
My rowing club Pampus in Almeere will always be special to me. For training, we rowed on this beautiful, long canal. There aren’t many other boats. Plus, it’s close to Amsterdam but quiet and wind-protected. The Dutch eight used to train there because it’s so perfect. As a junior, I spent more hours there than I did at home. It still feels like my secret paradise, even though I don’t go often enough these days.
Any final comments?
Could you please recreate my Austrian lake? I no longer get to go there, but it’s one of the places I already miss dearly! If EXR could recreate it for me and bring this amazing experience to my home gym, that’d be great!
Join Niki for a casual group row on EXR’s Lake Bled! Download the app, start your 14-day free trial and sign up for the free event!
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