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Simon van Velthooven has swapped the track for the water as he bids to pedal Emirates Team New Zealand to America's Cup glory. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images AsiaPac/Getty Images
Van Velthooven is part of a team that has swapped traditional grinders turned by hand for pedal power. Richard Hoddder/Richard Hodder / Emirates Team New Zealand
A bronze medalist in the Keirin at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Van Velthooven accepted an invitation from Team New Zealand after missing out on selection for Rio 2016. Phil Walter/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
"The speed's very similar, and I'm still pedaling, the only difference is I'm now outside," says Van Velthooven, who also boasts World Championship and Commonwealth Games medals. Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
And he is convinced that pedal power could be the future. "Well," he says, "the legs are a bigger muscle group and they can generate more power." Mark Kolbe/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
