Triathlon Action Continues With XTERRA Czech Republic and XTERRA Short Track - online advisory 18.06.2021: On Saturday 19th June, the best cross triathletes in Europe will take to the start line for the first full-distance race of the season and an action-packed weekend of racing at XTERRA Czech Republic.

On Saturday 19th June, the best cross triathletes in Europe will take to the start line for the first full-distance race of the season and an action-packed weekend of racing at XTERRA Czech Republic.



As an event that has been part of the XTERRA series since 2002, the racecourse out of Prachatice, Czech Republic always delivers something special and is well known for its tough climbs, fast fire roads and technical single track.


Alongside the challenging course, the full distance event will offer up a prize purse of 15,000 euros and all-important ranking points, plus qualification for the Short Track event on Sunday, meaning it is going to be an all-out battle from the get-go.



The Short Track Elite Women's will broadcast live at 08:45 (CET) and the Men's Races at 10:15 (CET), on the 20th of June, on the following RTMP link: rtmp://vysilani.zaktv.cz:11935/live. The Live Feed will also be available via Facebook and Youtube. There will be a signal available for testing on Saturday 19th of June at 16:00 (CET), as well.



In the women’s race, Helena Karaskova Erbanova is the highest-ranked out of the 13 elite female athletes after her incredible bronze medal performance at the XTERRA World Championships in Maui back in 2019. As the local legend, the athlete has come out of retirement especially for the occasion and will be looking forward to having a strong hit-out on home soil.



“I have never missed an edition of XTERRA Czech and racing at home has always been very special”, said Karaskova.



Renown for hunting athletes down on the bike and run, Karaskova will have her work cut out to catch young favourites Loanne Duvoisin and Sandra Mairhofer. Finishing first and second respectively at the XTERRA Short Track event in Lake Garda, Italy earlier in the month, both athletes showed they were on fine form and more than ready for the season ahead after racing neck and neck for much of the fast-paced race.  



ITU World Cross Tri Champion, Eleonora Peroncini will again be looking to the podium and to build on her third-place finish in Italy, while athletes such as Marta Menditto, Solenne Billoin, Carina Wasle and Jindriska Zemanova will also looking to battle it out at the front of the pack.  


 


In the men’s race, we welcome Jens Roth back to XTERRA Racing. Nicknamed ‘the shark’, Roth will be looking to establish a strong lead in the swim, ahead of a stellar field of athletes that features 10 of the top 20 XTERRA ranked athletes, including Ruben Ruzafa, Francois Carlon, Maxim Chané and Karel Dusek.



The two Arthur’s – Serrieres and Forissier – will once again be gunning for the top spot after a thrilling battle at the XTERRA Short Track Lake Garda a few weeks earlier.



“So happy to be back in the Czech Republic. I won here in 2019 and then both full and short track races in 2020 and I hope to perform well again”, said Serrieres.



But there is no denying that they will have their work cut out, with all eyes also on the local powerhouse, Lukas Kocar who would love to win on home soil, especially after a crash on the course in 2018 and a broken seat post in 2019. While a dropped chain saw him lose precious time and finish in third place at the XTERRA Short Track race in Italy earlier this month, all the athlete needs is a race without drama to be able to show off his full potential.



With a packed field across both the men’s and women’s race, XTERRA Czech Republic is set to be an exhilarating weekend of racing as athletes take on the classic lake swim, point-to-point bike and a hilly run course, before racing for the finish line in the beautiful Prachatice town square.




XTERRA Czech Republic Elite Women

Helena Karásková Erbenová (CZ)
Loanne Duvoisin (CH)
Carina Wasle (AT)
Sandra Mairhofer (IT)
Marta Menditto (IT)
Eleonora Peroncini (IT)
Jindřiška Zemanová (CZ)
Anna Tomica (PL)
Segolene Leberon (FR)
Solenne Billouin (FR)
Heleen Adams (BE)
Aneta Grabmüllerová (CZ)
Tereza Rudolfová (CZ)



XTERRA Czech Republic Elite Men

Arthur Serrieres (FR)
Ruben Ruzafa Cueto (ES)
Maxim Chané (FR)
Arthur Forissier (FR)
Karel Dušek (CZ)
Jens Roth (DE)
Lukáš Kočař (CZ)
Sébastien Carabin (BE)
Francois Carloni (FR)
Geert Lauryssen (BE)
Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen (DK)
Rui Dolores (PT)
Filippo Barazzuol (IT)
Lucas Van Deynze (BE)
Théo Dupras (FR)
Veit Hönle (DE)
Samuel Jud (CH)
Michal Francke (CZ)
Jacques Martines (FR)
Gaëtan Vivien (FR)
Vojtěch Bednarský (CZ)
Andres Carnevali del Castillo (ES)
Marek Olszewski (PL)
Federico Spinazzè (IT)
Petr Soukup (CZ)
Vaclav Bednarsky (CZ)
Felix Vatlach-Schumann (DE)
Bart Cooymans (NL)


All 4 Short Track events will be streamed live on TriathlonLive.tv, Facebook and other online platforms.



ICARUS Sports,John Toutountzis, Carel du Plessis / XTERRA