Posts Tagged ‘ITU’
The bike course here in Extremadura is a bit unusual, but its not easy and has some fun sections. (A large part of the bike is between the water and the green/blue pole)
Click here for ITU Cross Tri page from which I borrowed the below piece…
New legends will be made at first ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships
24/04/11 at 8:26 am – Texto en español
A new chapter in ITU history will be written this weekend at the first ITU World Cross Triathlon Championships in Extremadura, Spain.
The inaugural elite world titles consist of a 1km swim, 20km mountain bike and 6km cross-country run, and some of the best triathletes in the world will descend on ‘The Ring’ in to decide the titles.
Spain has assembled an impressive team to lead the charge at home, with over 80 ITU World Cup appearances between the men and women on its roster as well as athletes who specialise in multisport disciplines. But triathletes from South Africa, Canada, Switzerland and the USA are also real contenders to hold one of those two history-making titles aloft come Sunday.
Elite Women
There are a number of women with an elite ITU history in the field, including ITU winter triathlon world champion and European cross triathlon champion Carina Wasle (AUT), former junior women’s world championship winner Marion Lorblanchet (FRA), and 2009 European Cross Triathlon champion Renata Bucher (SUI), but it’s hard to look past the experience of Canadian Melanie McQuaid.
McQuaid has never competed in an ITU race before, but she does have an incredible Xterra triathlon record. Xterra triathlon’s consist of a bike, mountain bike and cross-country run and McQuaid is a three-time World Champion in the discipline. What is even more remarkable is that she has reached the podium four more times, claiming silver medals in 2000, 2004 and 2007 and a bronze in 2009.
McQuaid biggest challenge is sure to come from 2010 Xterra world champion Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) but Lorblanchet, who has also made the podium at the Xterra championships before, Wasle, Bucher and fellow Canadian Christine Jeffrey are also contenders. Jeffrey has competed on the elite ITU World Cup circuit and has finished in the top-10 at the Xterra world titles for the past three years.
There are 26 women and 12 different countries represented in the elite women’s field. Hosts Spain will field the biggest team with five athletes, while Kyrgyzstan will have four on the start line.
Elite Men
The men’s field is full of experienced triathletes but it’s hard to look past two in particular when it comes to favouritism, South African Conrad Stoltz and Spaniard Eneko Llanos.
Both are two-time Olympians, competing in Sydney and Athens, and both came into cross triathlon with an aim to conquer it. So far, they have both done exactly that. Llanos has three Xterra world titles and Stoltz four, including an emotional one in 2007 when he came back from a career threatening bike crash the year before. They are also the two most recent Xterra world champions, Llanos won in 2009 before Stoltz in 2010. Stoltz is surely favourite for the first title, but the battle between these two veterans is set to be thrilling.
But the men’s field is so strong that Stoltz and Llanos can’t expect to have the podium all to themselves. There is one three-time Olympian, Switzerland’s Olivier Marceau, who has also reached an Xterra worlds podium before, while Josiah Middaugh (USA), Paul Embrechts (BEL) and Victor Manuel Del Corral Morales (ESP) could all play a part. Then there is the evergreen 53-year-old Rob Barel (NED). He initially retired after the Sydney Olympics, but made a comeback to triathlon in 2007, winning the European men’s cross triathlon title in the 50-54 age-group. But Barel then stepped up to the elite men’s field in 2008 and won that too, he’s sure to give the race a shake.
There are 35 in the men’s field, with 17 different countries represented. The USA will have the biggest team with six. Spain’s three-time Olympian Ivan Rana was a late withdrawal from the field.The championships will be the first international event at the “The Ring”, in Extremadura, an International Innovation Centre for outdoor sports.
Find more details about this event – 2011 Extremadura ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships
7 XTERRA World titles right there. Chatting with fellow Avia athlete and Spanish ace, Eneko Llanos on the “bike course”
Was great to see the other old timers from my ITU days: Dutch legend Rob Barel, swimming ace Richard Stannard on a fully rigid 29er, and my Sydney Olympics break away buddy and XTERRA podium regular Olivier Marceau.
10 Questions with British ITU athlete, Will Clarke
My name is Will Clarke, I am 24 years old and a professional athlete racing on the ITU circuit. I live in Loughborough in England, and raised in Cambridge but not posh!
My season so far has been very consistent and pretty strong! Slowly getting better with every result. The World Championships Series this year has taken a massive step up and its extremely hard to get cheeky podiums these days due to the depth in talent! Last month I won my biggest ever race at The London Triathlon which was awesome but as I say though, my biggest race of the year is coming up in a few weeks time on the Gold Coast for the World Championships Finale and I have never felt fitter!
1 ) My favourite sporting memory so far has to be lining up at the Olympics, although my result was disappointing I was proud to be there and it was a great buzz racing in such a big event!
2 ) Tell us about a big training day that stands out.
For me, no one day sticks out as being amazing…I prefer to look at the bigger picture as I know one day means nothing but if you can back up 10 days…now we are talking! I have had many training blocks where I can smash out 1 or 2 really tough sessions per day for 10 days making me super fit but my most memorable ones are the BIG volume training weeks like December last year where I did 40hrs in 7 days plus a night out at the end which had at least 4 hrs of dancing! Thats 44 hours!
10 Questions with Irish Triathlete, Gavin Noble
Gav is the one on the left.
Over the next 2 weeks or so I will post a series of interviews with my TriathlonTeam.org teammates.: “10 Questions with ….”
Gavin replied 1st, so I’ll post them in the order received.
For starters, and the reader’s benefit, write a short paragraph about yourself:
I love drafting. I’m just going to put that out there. I know it’s not to everyone’s taste, especially in the land of hope and glory. but I have been brought up on ITU Elite Drafting Races and currently I am professional on the ITU scene.
Some people call me ‘Mr pink’ (I rode a pink bike for 2 seasons), some people called me a space cowboy, some people call me Maurice. My mum calls me often.
I like to do things in threes – Sports, running sessions, eating cake, waiting in the rain for the right bus to arrive.
Judging by the mountain bike and the Halloween outfit, Gav could grace us at XTERRA Worlds in Maui some day… (Conrad)
My dad is a beast! My friends dont call him “Tarzan” for no reason…
For those who dont read Afrikaans so well- shame on you! Just kidding. It says here: Gert Stoltz won the Grand Masters (60+) agegroup at the recent 40km Sabie Classic mountain bike race. He beat the 2nd placed guy by 6 minutes!
Obviously he rides the fastest bike out there, (one of my old S works Specialized Epics) but mostly his amazing performance comes from some serious genes. I think I got the diluted version, because my dad only trains on Saturdays, and I have to train a full 6 days a week to win.
If I could just get him to do an XTERRA, but he says swimming is for frogs and running is for criminals…
