The XTERRA European Championship returns to Zittau, Germany, for a weekend of full distance and televised Short Track off-road triathlon racing on Friday and Saturday, August 20-21.
It’s the 12th time XTERRA has raced around Olbersdorfer Lake on the edge of Zittau, a historic town near the Polish and Czech borders, and the fourth time it’s hosted the European Championship.
‘New this year is the adrenaline-filled XTERRA Short Track race on Friday afternoon featuring the sports fastest off-roaders going shoulder-to-shoulder in an exciting prelude to Saturday’s full distance showdown.’
As the name suggests, XTERRA Short Track is a fast, multi-lap, made-for-TV event. It combines two 200m swim laps with an exit in-between, four 1.5km mountain bike laps complete with jumps and berms, and two 1.3km run loops. Winning times are expected to be in the 30-40 minute range.
The women’s Short Track race starts at 15:20 CEST followed by the men at 16:35, and both events will be broadcast live on Facebook.com/xterraeurope.
Saturday’s race features the tradition XTERRA full distance that combines a 1.5km swim, 37km single loop mountain bike course, and a 10km trail run. The entire elite field will take part in both events, with a US$7,500 purse up for grabs during Friday’s Short Track spectacle and US$25,000 on the line in Saturday’s championship race.
