The 14th annual XTERRA European Championship off-road triathlon will be staged at The Citadel of Namur in Belgium on Saturday, June 10, 2023.
The XTERRA European Championship, one of 19 events in 12 countries on the XTERRA EMEA Tour, is being held in Belgium for the first-time. Last year’s race was in the Czech Republic and previous editions were hosted in Germany, Denmark, England, Italy, and Austria.
The move, part of a global initiative to regularly rotate XTERRA’s championship venues, aims to provide a new experience and challenge for athletes chasing the continental crown.
The iconic Citadel, a fortress originally built in the 900’s, hosted XTERRA Belgium for four years from 2016 to 2019. The inaugural XTERRA Belgium event in 2016 was the biggest first-time XTERRA race ever held with more than 1,000 entries.
In 2023, following a two-year stint at the nearby Port of Beez, XTERRA will return to its original home in Belgium.
“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with XTERRA Belgium to host the European Championships,” said Doug Hall, XTERRA EMEA General Manager.
“A big part of XTERRA’s future growth is sharing our exciting sport with as many people as possible, and with the news that XTERRA Belgium was returning to The Citadel and bringing the event back to the heart of a city with more than 100,000 people, it just made sense for this race to host the biggest event of the XTERRA EMEA Tour.”
The race starts with a 1.5km swim around an island in the middle of the Meuse river, follows with a twisting 37km mountain bike through city streets, past the Citadel, and into forest trails, and finishes with a hilly 10km trail run.
There will be €25,000 in prize money awarded equally to the top 10 elite men and women, plus XTERRA European Championship crowns to age group division winners along with 58 qualifying spots into the 2023 XTERRA World Championship to be held in Trentino, Italy on September 23, 2023.
In addition, on Sunday, June 11, the top 25 elite men and women will go head-to-head for another €5,000 in prize money in the invite-only XTERRA Short Track competition.
Belgian event organizers Denis Detinne and Florian Badoux are both long-time XTERRA racers.
“As an XTERRA organizer and athlete, I am proud to host the 2023 XTERRA European Championship in my city,” said Badoux. “Belgium is a land of cycling and triathlon, which placed XTERRA Belgium on the world map from its first edition in 2016 and we can’t wait to return once again to The Citadel of Namur.
“This historic site is a monument of sports in Belgium, it’s one of the most emblematic and unmissable places on the XTERRA World Tour, and the perfect place for the European Championship.”
