Rodrigo Queiroz Rides Swells and Completes Travessia do Leme ao Pontal
Adherbal de Oliveira reported 37-year-old Rodrigo Queiroz da Silva completed his biggest open water challenge on December 4th with a successful 36 km Travessia do Leme ao Pontal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
He writes, “Queiroz, an amateur marathon swimmer, was guided by his coach Glauco Luise de Oliveira Rangel who is the current record holder for the Travessia.
His one-year training and preparation culminated in a 24 km crossing, the traditional Travessia 14 Bis across the Bertioga Channel that connects the city of Bertioga to Santos.
The swim from Leme to Pontal started at 3:04 am with the expectation of good winds and good swells, as well as a 1 meter tide variation that could help Rodrigo a lot during the initial stretch of the swim. Rodrigo knew how to take advantage of the favorable conditions of the initial stretch very well and swam with an average speed above 4 km per hour. He showed a lot of determination and physical and mental preparation.
On the rocky stretch of São Conrado beach, close to halfway through the challenge, Rodrigo had to overcome an oncoming current. Following the instructions of his coach onboard the escort boat, he increased the frequency of his strokes to an incredible 90 strokes per minute, advancing rapidly on the course at a speed of 5 km per hour.
Once he overcame the current, Queiroz remained focused, always closely accompanied by the escort boat Olympus 2 of Captain Tiago Alberto da Silva and by the LPSA observer Ricardo Patrick Lima Silva.
With an impressive performance that caused many followers and open water swimmers to send messages and comments through the Leme to Pontal Swimming Association (LPSA) social media, Rodrigo Queiroz completed the Travessia do Leme ao Pontal, with the winding course over 36 km in 8 hours 25 minutes on a beautiful morning and was welcomed by friends and family on the sands of Pontal beach, the arrival point of this beautiful challenge.
From Leme to Pontal there is nothing like it!“
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