BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Pounding on the pedals tucked inside his cockpit, David “Freddie” Carr is helping to keep Britain's yacht flying over the Mediterranean waves at the 37th America’s Cup.
Carr is a member of the select tribe of cyclors, the “cycling sailors” almost hidden in the hulls of the powerful AC75 foiling yachts. These human workhorses use their strength and endurance to generate the hydraulic power needed to trim the sails and rotate the masts of their super-fast boats during the 20-minute-plus races.
If the cyclors’ legs tire, the multimillion yachts can be left flailing as a rival cruises away.
“I honestly think it is probably one of the more extreme sporting environments that’s ever existed,” Carr tells The Associated Press after a recent race. “I’ve been racing America’s Cups for 20 years, so I’ve kind of been all the way through from early grinding into winches into this now. And it’s not just the physical effort that you have to do. You have to stay switched on cognitively to kind of help sail the boat."
The efforts of Carr and his crewmates have put INEOS Britannia into the challengers final against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli starting on Thursday off Barcelona. The winner will get a shot at defending champion Team Emirates New Zealand for the biggest prize in sailing.
Carr described what it is like to be mounted on a stationary bike inside a nearly airborne yacht: Your heart is pounding, you are hot and facing G-forces on the sharp maneuvers, you have to process data from a screen, all while “building a tactical picture in your head” because you are blind to the action.
“It is bizarre, unlike any other sailing I’ve done previously,” Carr says. He knows how far the racing has evolved over the past two decades.
This is America's Cup No. 6 for Carr.
At age 42, he has seen firsthand the incredible transformation of America’s Cup yachts from the typical mental image of what most people have of a sailboat to its current iteration that looks like a giant mechanical water-skimming insect — that, or a spaceship — with a mast and sails sticking out of the top.
Carr is a native of the Isle of Wight, where the America's Cup started in 1851. The Englishman started racing on relatively traditional monohulls that went 10 mph (16 kph). The AC75s now regularly hit 60 mph (100 kph).
But he has adapted to the changes in design that have also impacted the jobs of the crew, shifting from using his arms to his legs.
Carr was there when cyclors were first introduced at the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda. And when they were dropped again in the 2021 edition in Auckland in favor of a return to the hand-powered grinders who spun winches. But with the 2024 organizers wanting to cut the weight of the boats, four cyclors are back as crews were reduced from 11 to eight members.
In constant search for improved aerodynamics, the crew are inside their own cockpits. And while the helmsmen peek out to steer, the cyclors are heads down out of the airstream.
And for Carr, that means the sport he loves has lost a little bit of the human element and physical camaraderie that he so much enjoyed.
“You don’t have any visual contact with anybody else, so you are solely relying on your communication from your earphones and the data in front of you,” he says. “You used to do a lot of that with sort of nonverbal communication, body language with a wink, a flick of the elbow or something like that. And trying to adapt to being in your own little world, relying solely on verbal communication that you’re getting through your headset, is really big.”
Keeping mentally composed as a team plays directly into the gruelling physical demands of the job, since, Carr says, “The skill in being a cyclor is recognizing the moments where you can have a breather.”
As the boost in the role of data-driven technology has led to the specialization of the cyclor role, the gangway has been lowered to let non-sailors onto the fastest yachts in the world. Several athletes with rowing and cycling backgrounds are among the America’s Cup crews.
So Carr and his fellow sailors have had to welcome and train new teammates who, at least compared to them, are pretty much landlubbers.
“There is a group of new lads that have come in who can’t sail, effectively,” he says. “We’ve had to be very open-minded to upskill these guys. … (because a) team starts falling down when you’ve got little cliques, little nooks, little subcultures within it. And we’ve worked really hard to just stop that from happening.”
Carr’s Britannia crew is in no way alone in having relative newcomers to sailing among its cyclor unit.
American Magic, the boat representing the New York Yacht Club that was eliminated by Luna Rossa last week, even featured a swimmer in Colton Hall.
Hall says that what he could give in watts over the long haul earned him a spot on American Magic. The rest has been a quick learning experience.
“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before,” Hall tells the AP. “You don’t really even feel like you’re on a boat because you’re protected by the wind. You’re rarely getting wet if the sailors are doing a good job. You’re going fast, but to be honest, I can’t really tell the difference between going 10 knots and when we’re going 50.”
Hall had excelled as a swimmer and transitioned into cycling when he was steered toward a tryout session for American Magic.
“When I told my parents I was trying out for a sailing team, they were like, ’You don’t know anything about sailing. What are you thinking?” Hall says. “I had to explain the whole opportunity to them. It’s been really exciting to be a part of this. It’s just all-encompassing.”
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
Ineos Britannia's AC75 boat sails during a semi-final America's Cup Regatta ahead of the 37th America's Cup sailing race along the Barcelona's coast, Spain, Saturday, Sep. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Ineos Britannia's AC75 boat sails during a semi-final America's Cup Regatta ahead of the 37th America's Cup sailing race along the Barcelona's coast, Spain, Saturday, Sep. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Ineos Britannia's AC75 boat sails during a semi-final America's Cup Regatta ahead of the 37th America's Cup sailing race along the Barcelona's coast, Spain, Saturday, Sep. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran has proposed negotiations after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic as an ongoing crackdown on demonstrators has led to hundreds of deaths.
Trump said late Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports mount of increasing deaths and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night.
Iran did not acknowledge Trump’s comments immediately. It has previously warned the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has accurately reported on past unrest in Iran, gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran cross checking information. It said at least 544 people have been killed so far, including 496 protesters and 48 people from the security forces. It said more than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
The Latest:
A witness told the AP that the streets of Tehran empty at the sunset call to prayers each night.
Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
Another text, addressed “Dear parents,” which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.
The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.
—- By Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Iran drew tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators to the streets Monday in a show of power after nationwide protests challenging the country’s theocracy.
Iranian state television showed images of demonstrators thronging Tehran toward Enghelab Square in the capital.
It called the demonstration an “Iranian uprising against American-Zionist terrorism,” without addressing the underlying anger in the country over the nation’s ailing economy. That sparked the protests over two weeks ago.
State television aired images of such demonstrations around the country, trying to signal it had overcome the protests, as claimed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier in the day.
China says it opposes the use of force in international relations and expressed hope the Iranian government and people are “able to overcome the current difficulties and maintain national stability.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday that Beijing “always opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs, maintains that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law, and opposes the use or threat of use of force in international relations.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned “in the strongest terms the violence that the leadership in Iran is directing against its own people.”
He said it was a sign of weakness rather than strength, adding that “this violence must end.”
Merz said during a visit to India that the demonstrators deserve “the greatest respect” for the courage with which “they are resisting the disproportional, brutal violence of Iranian security forces.”
He said: “I call on the Iranian leadership to protect its population rather than threatening it.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday suggested that a channel remained open with the United States.
Esmail Baghaei made the comment during a news conference in Tehran.
“It is open and whenever needed, through that channel, the necessary messages are exchanged,” he said.
However, Baghaei said such talks needed to be “based on the acceptance of mutual interests and concerns, not a negotiation that is one-sided, unilateral and based on dictation.”
The semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran, which is close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, on Monday began calling out Iranian celebrities and leaders on social media who have expressed support for the protests over the past two weeks, especially before the internet was shut down.
The threat comes as writers and other cultural leaders were targeted even before protests. The news agency highlighted specific celebrities who posted in solidarity with the protesters and scolded them for not condemning vandalism and destruction to public property or the deaths of security forces killed during clashes. The news agency accused those celebrities and leaders of inciting riots by expressing their support.
Canada said it “stands with the brave people of Iran” in a statement on social media that strongly condemned the killing of protesters during widespread protests that have rocked the country over the past two weeks.
“The Iranian regime must halt its horrific repression and intimidation and respect the human rights of its citizens,” Canada’s government said on Monday.
Iran’s foreign minister claimed Monday that “the situation has come under total control” after a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in the country.
Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim.
Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.
Iran’s foreign minister alleged Monday that nationwide protests in his nation “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene.
Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim, which comes after over 500 have been reported killed by activists -- the vast majority coming from demonstrators.
Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.
Iran has summoned the British ambassador over protesters twice taking down the Iranian flag at their embassy in London.
Iranian state television also said Monday that it complained about “certain terrorist organization that, under the guise of media, spread lies and promote violence and terrorism.” The United Kingdom is home to offices of the BBC’s Persian service and Iran International, both which long have been targeted by Iran.
A huge crowd of demonstrators, some waving the flag of Iran, gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA’s Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian government. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by early evening only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.
Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.
Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with the the demonstrators, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver. A police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt.
The driver, a man who was not identified, was detained “pending further investigation,” police said in a statement Sunday evening.
Shiite Muslims hold placards and chant slogans during a protest against the U.S. and show solidarity with Iran in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Activists carrying a photograph of Reza Pahlavi take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House, in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Activists take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Protesters burn the Iranian national flag during a rally in support of the nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran against the government in Paris, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
