Europe Triathlon

2015, what a year that was!

As we say goodbye to a very busy 2015, the New Year promises to be as busy and exciting and with many eyes on Rio the racing will be even more intense. What happened? Where did it go?

Well, January was the beginning of the season for many and it was an exciting start for the athletes and technical officials in Reinosa with the Winter Triathlon Championships. Having obtained special permission from ITU to adjust the standard rules and allow road bikes (the race is unique in that the run is around the city, with the bike using a road that leads from the city up to the ski resort) the officials had a frantic time changing all their plans when heavy snow swept into the region and cut off the ski resort for several days. The result was a very snowy duathlon and domination by Russia in the elite medal table. Pavel Andreev was once again victorious with gold going in the women’s race to Olga Parfinenko.Age group athletes were out in force and a small but strong team from Germany made sure they went home with medals.

Next up on the calendar was an event with no athletes but instead a chance for the “back-room boys”, the Presidents from all the European Federations to meet, share ideas, discuss plans for the new year and to get involved in the all-important networking. Many contacts were made over the weekend and we saw the real value of these annual events, an idea conceived by ETU President Renato Bertrandi, as the year progressed and as federations worked closer together.

During the Presidents’ Conference one of the most important elements discussed was the development of athletes around the region. The first development camp of the year was scheduled for the 28th March to 3rd April and was a huge success amongst the young and enthusiastic athletes as well as for the new coaches. This program is hugely important for ETU as these camps give a chance to athletes from the smaller federations to experience top-level coaching and prepares them for the races around the Junior Circuit.

With new blood coming into the sport it was with great sadness that we had to say goodbye to some key people within our ETU family. In the space of so few days in March we lost a great athlete and a great official. A crash in South Africa took Linda Scattolin’s life and then before we had a chance to reflect, Wolfgang Krawczyk, one of Germany’s most experienced Technical Officials, was called away.

Their memories live on.

The snows of winter long gone, it was now the turn for the swim, bike, runners to get podium glory.

Quarteira has for many years now been the early-season place to be. The weekend is dedicated to the Elite on the Saturday and the Juniors on Sunday. For the women it was a great battle from South Africa’s Gillian Sanders but what a great performance by the young French woman, Audrey Merle.  Her determined racing was a statement of great things to come.

France had more reason to celebrate when the men raced as they took more medals with stunning performances from Dorian Coninx and Aurélien Raphaël.

The juniors, racing in rough sea conditions put on a great show and it was a victory to the German athlete, Lisa Tertsch who delighted the German coach and whose performance heralded a new beginning for the younger German athletes.

For the junior men, it was GB’s Ben Dijkstra who stole the show.

Next up in the Championship medal race was the ETU Powerman European Sprint Championships (Elite and U23) and the ETU Powerman European Long Distance Duathlon. This partnership has been running for several years now and really does offer the hard-core duathletes the best racing chances. Glorious sunshine greeted the athletes at the start. Medals were also up for grabs in the Para and Age Group categories.

Belgium has long dominated this sport and it was no surprise to see that uniform cross the line first. It was however a thrill to see the battle and it was Kenneth Vandendriessche who took the coveted gold.

Long distance specialist from Switzerland, Laura Hrebec took gold in the women’s race where it was to be the start of Sara Dossena’s collection of medals this year.

Dutch hopes rested upon the shoulders of young Jorik van Egdom but he was beaten by the very narrowest of margins by Italy’s Alberto della Pasqua.

The German coaches were once again rewarded for their hard work with a fine performance by defending champion Franziska Scheffler.

Amongst the para-athletes the only medal to stay in the Netherlands was won by Geert Schipper. The other medals went to Germany with fine performances from Andrea Thamm and Lars Hansen.

Age Group medals are always keenly fought over and as ever, there was a big team from Great Britain. The British athletes were rewarded with a haul of 12 medals (5 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze). The German team was out in force and returned home with 6 golds 2 silvers and 3 bronzes.

ETU places great value on innovation and new events. We were of course thrilled to see a race take place in Melilla. No doubt many were checking Google to find out where it was but for those who went to this tiny area of Spanishness on the Northern African coast, it was a trip worthwhile as the whole town got behind the event and welcomed the athletes, coaches, team managers and officials and saw a truly great race.

Juniors and Elite raced for points and medals and although Spain took the majority of medals it was Elite gold for Germany and Great Britain.

Alcobendas was next up and it was again a chance for duathlon medals to be won at the Standard and Sprint events.

No medals for Belgium this time but instead a chance for the World Long Course champion, Nicolas Benoit to show he can go long and go short. For the women it was also gold for the French, with Sandra Levenez taking gold after a mechanical problem robbed the spectators of the real battle when Sara Dossena’s bike locked up after a crash. At the time of the crash she was with Levenez and the pair of them had a 4 minute lead over the chase pack.

The U-23 medals were shared between Portugal and Italy.

The Juniors had a chance to shine and it was a wonderful opportunity to watch the two young Gonzalez brothers race for podium places. In the Junior Women’s race it was France who dominated the medals.

Para medals were largely shared by the French and Spanish. 4 golds went to France and aside from two silvers that were won by Italy, the rest of the medals went to the home nation. The Spanish Triathlon Federation website ran the headline, “Triumph of the Spanish Para triathletes in the European Championships Duathlon Alcobendas” but in reality it was a triumph for all over this very tough course.
Of course, the biggest number of athletes was in the Age Group category and while some were struggling in Madrid in the torrential rain that hit the Madrid Marathon, it was just as wet and windy in Alcobendas.

Once again it was Team GB who were most visible. Team Manager, Joan Lennon, looking after both the Sprint and Standard Teams, amounting to 404 athletes said, “Battling incredibly tough weather conditions along the route meant that many duathletes were forced out of racing, making the British medal haul (72 in total) ever the more impressive.”  Joan added, ‘It was like no other event before. The conditions were nothing like I’ve ever experienced at a championships. We had about 40% first-timers who had never pulled on GB kit before and were overjoyed with the experience however, despite the weather. The course would have been fantastic on a dry day, which sadly we didn’t have’.” Spain took 20 medals in the Sprint. Other golds were shared by Germany, Ireland, Italy and France. The Standard distance saw another 33 medals go to GB. The host nation saw 18 medals stay on Spanish soil. Other golds were won by Austria and France.

From the rain in Spain to the blazing sunshine of Antalya. British athletes were racing here for spots at the Rio test event and it was a delighted Matt Sharp who was fastest over all three disciplines. He crossed the line comfortably in the lead despite having had a battle at the first buoy when he and another athlete were forced inside the course by the main pack. Struggling to find his way around the buoy they were pushed inside and technically cut the course. That one moment robbed him of a chance at the 2016 Games.

At an event traditionally dominated by the Russian athletes, who arrive in Antalya after their winter training camp in Cyprus, it was GB gold, silver and bronze for the men and a bronze behind the Russians in the women’s race.

From Turkey the attention turned once again to Spain as the athletes raced the very familiar Madrid course.

New kids on the block was the tag for the race. It was Jeanne Lehair’s first race as an Elite athlete. The young French woman took a comfortable gold. “It is difficult to compare a sprint and a standard race, as difficult in fact as comparing a junior and an elite race. I do not have much experience racing Elite (having only raced on the domestic circuit) but they seem to be more strategic. Sprint races see you trying to make breaks.”

Once again Italy’s Sara Dossena missed out. “Always second. Silver medal in Madrid. Still very happy. Swimming is better than last season and the bike was good but the run was great as I made up all the time I lost in the swim. I really wanted to hear the Italian national anthem but hey… Next up for me will be the ETU Challenge Middle Distance Championships in Rimini.”

The men’s event was a real treat for the spectators with Uxío Abuín Ares showing that Spain has great depth in its Elite men and setting the scene for his 2015 points collection.

With the season well underway it was now the chance for the longer distance athletes to show their skills. Unwelcome rain descended upon Rimini but still the buzz was there amongst the many athletes who had registered for the 2015 Rimini ETU Challenge Middle Distance Triathlon European Championships.

The men’s race saw a massive battle at the front end but it was double-Olympian Filip Ospalý who took gold.

For the women it was a solid victory for Kaisa Lehtonen.

The Age Group athletes were all happy that the awful rain had eased off. They were welcomed to the race by ETU President, Renato Bertrandi.

Big teams from Germany and Great Britain again made the event look wonderfully international.

The Age Group athletes have now started to ask, “Is it time for our own medal table ?” For this event it was Team GB who went away with 8 golds, 4 silvers and 8 bronzes (if you include the Elite Bronze). In second place was Italy, on home soil, with 6 golds, 7 silvers and 3 bronzes (again including the elite silvers) and 3 bronzes. Germany had a solid 4 golds, 6 silvers and 3 bronzes.

After long came the short and with a welcome return to Vienna we saw Junior athletes push themselves around the city course.

Having already seen her pace in Alanya in 2014, it was good to see that her race in Turkey was not a “one-off”. Alberte Kjær Pedersen looked delighted as she crossed the line.

For the junior men, it was gold to a very promising young German athlete, Lasse Lührs.

The junior athletes collect points in the same way as the Elite. For the juniors however, these points are collected for their national federation, with the winners receiving a big cheque from ETU at the end of the season.

The Juniors moved north for their next event. One simple headline summed it all up, “Israel sweeps up in Kupiškis”

It was only Belarus athlete, Mikita Katsianeu who could find place on the Israeli-dominated podium with the women winning all medals, (Yuval Gome: gold, Noam Fishman: silver and Lianne Witkin: bronze) and the men taking gold, Omri Bahat and bronze, Ran Sagiv.

The “Big One” arrived and did so in style. With a magnificent Opening Ceremony the inaugural European Games in Baku and the triathlon in particular, showed the world that we are with the best. In the women’s race it was a masterclass from Olympic Champion, Nicola Spirig.

For the men, the race was more open and victory was snatched by British athlete and winner of the Melilla race, Gordon Benson.

From the relative luxury of smooth asphalt roads the attention moved to the exciting and rapidly-growing discipline of Cross-Triathlon. Environmentally friendly, set in beautiful locations and offering athletes, spectators, sponsors and federations a great opportunity to provide new and innovative events, ETU has been working with TNatura to build the brand.

Over a very difficult course, it was ultimately French athlete, Arthur Serrières who made his mark at the Revine Lago-Tarzo event.

It was an Italian clean-sweep in the women’s race with gold going to Monica Cibin.

We saw Mikita Katsianeu race in Lithuania. Would he be able to maintain that level of racing ? Well, it was too good to miss and so we loved the headline, “Belarus birthday boy wins Burgas gold.” This race, with its leg-killing climb from swim to T1 saw him take the gold medal.

The Junior Women’s race saw Austria win comfortably. Therese Feuersinger was delighted with her race.

The Elite races saw French, Russians Ukrainian and British athletes on the podium. Yuliya Yelistratova and her husband, (yes, they married recently on 25th December) Vladimir Turbaevskiy both got medals. It was not to be a “his and hers” gold as it was France’s Brice Daubord who took men’s gold and for the women a Ukrainian gold.

Only a matter of days later, Yelistratova was on home soil and once again hoping to boost her points with another commanding performance. A very tough bike course with lots of climbing soon saw her working in a small peloton that seemed to shout, “Podium here I come!” Suddenly she was down.

Victory then went to Inna Ryzhykh.

The men’s race was a flat-out, testing event that saw athletes really push themselves to the limit. The crowds loved it. The city embraced it. Yegor Martynenko won it.

The same weekend saw a Sprint event take place in Istanbul. ETU has a rich calendar of races with a good mix of Sprint and Standard events. Something for everyone and each race full of points.
Olympic silver medallist, Lisa Nordén was the big attraction.

She won, in style. Her work done she then flew back home, “2 continents and 3 countries before lunchtime. Not a bad day of travelling.”

For the men, it was defending champion, Felix Duchampt, “Years go by and look alike. For the second time after 2014, I won the Elite European Cup of Triathlon in Istanbul on a course that I really like. Always a pleasure to race in Turkey. Next stop: Estonia this weekend!” Istanbul was also the location for an outing of the ETU Development Team.  With careful selection of races and with full coaching support, these selected athletes are taken to various events where they can race safely and gain valuable experience on the international circuit. Under the watchful eye of Turkish coach, Aytug Akar, five athletes from Slovenia and Romania, performed well. For some, it was their first chance to gain ETU points; for all of them it was a great chance to mix with Europe’s top athletes.

Köln has been host to the ETU Aquathlon Championships now for a few years. Why? Because the venue is just perfect!

Not too far from anywhere and guaranteeing a top-quality event, the German Federation once again hosted this event and it was a huge success for all who raced there. A massive medal haul from Team GB took them to the top of the medal table. In the Age Group races Team GB came away with 10 gold medals, 13 silver and 15 bronze. Germany was the next strongest team with pretty much half that tally. France, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Ireland, Sweden, Italy and Ukraine all saw their athletes win medals. Athletes came from all over Europe to race and to enjoy the hospitality of the German Triathlon Federation.

Great fun was had by the teams there with the Czech Team definitely winning any medals that were available for enthusiasm. ETU President, Renato Bertrandi was very happy with the quality of delivery.

Elite medals went to Great Britain

and Czech Republic

Amongst the ParaTri athletes, there were medals for Germany’s Benjamin Lenatz, for Rob Noordzij NLD and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Stepanenko.

“Hottest Holten sees 4th July gold going to USA.” Yes, that was indeed the headline. With all amateur sporting events cancelled in the Netherlands due to the extreme heat, it was only the Elite and then only the Elite over a sprint distance, who could race. Holten is an amazing experience for athletes and spectators as the whole village becomes part of the race. Where else do you have a waiting list for volunteers and where else do you get over a thousand people lending a hand?

Junior Gold went to USA’s Taylor Knibb.

For the men, the sprint for the line was won by Gustav Iden.

The Elite race was also a Sprint with Aurélien Lebrun and on home soil, leading from the gun, Rachel Klamer taking gold

It was slightly cooler in Tartu in the first week of July and it was exciting to see athletes from other parts of the world now using our very own ETU events to test their strengths and weaknesses.

It was the Australians who showed their strengths in the Men’s race with gold and silver going to Declan Wilson and Matt Baker. In the women’s race it was a stunning race for Hungary’s Zsanett Horváth.

Then … it was Geneva. The most spectacular of venues hosted this year’s ETU Triathlon Championships. The roads were closed. The branding was up. Triathlon had come to town. The local TV Company, Leman Bleu provided stunning big-screen live coverage of the races. Age Group athletes were followed by motorcycle camera teams and we stood in awe of the images as the battles were fought for Sprint and Standard medals. No one image can really capture the race but there is of course one moment that will be remembered for many years.

Not much rest until the next event but only a short distance over the border and into France. It was the Juniors who raced first at the 2015 Châteauroux ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup and a deserved victory in dreadful conditions went to Jana Macháčová.

For the Junior Men it was Australian Matthew Roberts who took the top place on the podium.

The weather settled down just enough for the Elite and it was a blistering pace set by Aurélien Lebrun.

In the women’s race it was utter domination by Germany’s Lisa Sieburger.

2017 will see the ETU Elite Sprint Championships take place at this venue.

The LOC is ready for you !

As the pulse subsided, it was back to the mud and forest trails as the TNatura ETU Cross Triathlon European Championships were hosted in Schwarzwald.

We have heard it before, “If triathlon was easy, they would call it football.” But what about cross-triathlon? Are you tough enough ?

It was Switzerland’s Renata Bucher who took a comfortable gold in the Elite Women’s event.

For the men, it was Frenchman Arthur Forissier who split the German opposition to take gold. U23 gold went to Germany’s Malte Plappert.

Junior medals were shared by Lindy van Anrooy NED and Germany’s Raphi Schröder.

The organisers were able as well to accommodate a ParaTri wave for the PT2 and PT4 men. Medals were shared between Austria, Spain and the Netherlands. For the Age Group athletes, for once, it was not Team GB that walked away with pockets full of medals. Instead it was the host nation, Germany that scooped up a massive 28 medals; 9 gold medals, 10 silver and 9 bronze.

With no U-23 medals in Geneva it was once again Spain who hosted a top level event. Banyoles saw the race for medals amongst the new elite as well as the Youth Championships, which was run on a team relay format. It was a British victory, with Lucy Hall cruising to the line.

It was time to celebrate for the Spanish as David Castro Fajardo got to the line a fraction ahead of the opposition. For the youths, 14 female teams raced and 16 male teams. Great excitement was generated as they followed this super-fast, super-thrilling, hopefully soon to be Olympic format. Russia swept away the competition to win the Youth Women Relay and it was Great Britain who fought strongly to take gold in the Youth Men Relay.

From Spain it was once again time to jump to the other side of Europe. Czech cheers for the Junior Women in Tábor and Kazakh fire takes Beisenbayev to gold.

Ayan Beisenbayev despite receiving a penalty ran a perfect final leg to take the gold. We saw Jana Macháčová racing earlier this year in awful weather. This time, on home soil and in near perfect racing conditions, she was out to show the world how good she can be.

The crowds lined the streets to see her win.

Up next was Riga. Over the past few years this event has developed into the “must race” venue in the Baltic.  Germany’s Lisa Sieburger once again stamped her mark on the race with an emphatic victory.

It was a welcome return to racing for Ukraine’s Yuliya Yelistratova who, with her training partner, coach and now husband, had been working hard on her rehabilitation after the terrible crash that tore open her right arm.

In the men’s race it was going to be tough for anyone not Russian as the big names from over the border were there and they were racing for points and prize-money.

Out of the water in command was Alexander Bryukhankov. He raced tactically and avoided the crashes that struck some of the other athletes and raced to gold.

“This town is all about triathlon”, said Andreas Schilling DEN – how true he is. Tiszaújváros – the triathlon capital of Eastern Europe. The local organising committee has worked tirelessly over the years to build up this event to become a focal point for athletes from all over the world. No, this is not your usual event. This is a series of races over the weekend that from qualifying events delivers the fastest athletes to the finals. Short, sharp, fast and furious. For athletes, coaches and spectators alike this is a weekend to see our sport at its best.

ETU President, Renato Bertrandi was present for this festival of triathlon, “The format of racing we have seen this weekend in Tiszaújváros is an ideal way to showcase our sport and is exactly what we hope to do with the Youth Festival. Short fast races as qualifiers with a pathway to the semi-final and then final gives the athletes, coaches and spectators a fantastic opportunity to really get inside triathlon. It also allows technical officials to experience a variety of situations within a racing weekend. A massive opportunity for development for all. Tiszaújváros has got the formula right and I know from the athletes that this is one of the best ways to celebrate triathlon. Congratulations to the Organising Committee. Great job, done well.”

The Junior Finals saw Great Britain take double gold with Ben Dijkstra and Olivia Matthias

Seeking the sunshine, many athletes headed next to Turkey and for the welcome return of an old friend. Eğirdir is no stranger to international triathlon but has not been a feature of the calendar for a few years. Turkey is adopting a true triathlon philosophy with “Elite and Lifestyle” participation. This weekend was a chance to blend the two together and encourage many more into the sport.

Open waves were followed by Para Waves.

Then came the Elite Races, where the top medals went to strong Russian winners, Arina Shulgina and Denis Vasiliev

If you have never been to Carlsbad, or as it is properly known, Karlovy Vary, then put it on your bucket list. A truly stunning town of incredible beauty and with easily the toughest bike course you will ever find on an international triathlon circuit. It was a chance for the French Federation to rejoice as they dominated the podium.

Toute petite she may be but she is such a tough competitor. Audrey Merle did it again.

The men’s race was where we saw one of the fastest 10ks of the year. Aurélien Lebrun was victorious. “You know, this victory is particularly sweet. It was my first ever European Cup back in 2010. I finished 10th then and in 2013 I had a DNF, which rather ruined my run of good races.  I wanted to come back to Karlovy Vary to see if I could win. The course is unique. It really is. And a beautiful course too.”

The Romanian Federation has been working hard to develop its athletes, coaches and officials and has also been putting on better and better events. As the season was drawing to an end it was an ambitious federation that hosted back to back events.

First up was a festival of sport in Tulcea that saw Germany take the two golds. Nina Eim winning the Junior Women event.

Tim Siepmann winning the Junior Men event. After the races had finished it was a chance for Romanian Triathlon Secretary General Peter Klosz to reflect. “It was a pleasure for us to host in this corner of Europe a stage of the Triathlon Junior European Cup. This event perfectly framed in our three-day sport and cultural event : Rowmania, by which we promote ecotourism, outdoor sports, and professional sport between young athletes. I'm sure the athletes appreciated not only the points and prizes but also the great location and the short trip in the Danube Delta offered from LOC for the athletes from places 1-3. Surely we will try to keep this competition for juniors in the ETU calendar in the future.”

The action stayed in Romania but moved to the resort location of Constanta-Mamaia. Weather conditions were abnormal and the swim, even in the sheltered lagoon, proved to be “exciting”.

It was a breakthrough win for Russia’s swim expert Valentina Zapatrina.

The men’s race was equally choppy out on the swim.

It was a chance for Uxío Abuín Ares to really make his mark and in tough, windy conditions he stole the gold on a finish line that was awash with leaves blown from the trees.

The race was one of the toughest of the year with the heat and wind but the prize-money certainly helped the athletes as the ETU racing season was drawing to a close. Sochi was getting closer … the big finale was near.

It was the turn once again for the juniors to race but this time in a super-spring format in the most beautiful of settings. Torrential rain greeted them but on this occasion it was warm torrential rain.

Gold went to Lisa Tertsch http://www.triathlon.org/athletes/profile/lisa_tertsch and to Gabriel Sandör.

Long Distance came to Weymouth in the form of the ETU Challenge Long Distance Triathlon European Championships. After the immense success of Almere in 2014, this year saw a very poor turn-out that meant that the event was more of a British Championship event. Sabotage out on the course put the lives of athletes in danger. One of the motorcycle officials was badly injured when he lost control of his motorbike on oil that had been spread across the course. Despite his injury he managed to control the area so that athletes were not in danger.

Gold in the Men’s race went to two-times Olympian Marek Jaskółka POL

In the women’s race a jubilant Camilla Lindholm SWE who took gold having smashed the opposition.

“This is the new future for the sport”
Not just empty words but indeed the words of the most consistent champion on the Cross-circuit, Conrad Stoltz RSA. So it was that Bohinj once again saw athletes descend on the small village to race in the crystal-clear waters.

King of the Snow, Pavel Andreev battled with the King of Cross-Tri and it was the young pretender who won.

The year was almost over. The ETU Points race was at its end. Sochi was here. With athletes flying from the other side of the world, jet-lagged and still buzzing from the excitement of Chicago, it was going to be interesting to see who had recovered best. Sochi welcomed them all. The Olympic Village, laying on the edge of the sea and with the mountains rising high behind was an impressive setting and it is a true mark of the success of investment by the Russian Ministries that the venue, a year after the Olympic Games, was still busy and hosting a variety of international events.

The race proved to be one too many for Ukraine’s Yuliya Yelistratova who had gone there with the firm intention of winning. A battle took place between her and Germany’s Lisa Sieburger but with just that extra bit of pace it was gold to Germany but overall points victory for Ukraine.

The men’s race was a great one. One of the best we have had all year and with so much riding on the result we saw the athletes push themselves harder than ever before.

Gold went to Dmitry Polyanskiy but the overall points victory went to Spain’s Uxío Abuín Ares.

There were still medals to be won however on the Cross-Circuit and it was a European “first” in Northern Spain with a very tough Cross Duathlon Championships hosted by Castro-Urdiales. With a very, very challenging course that at times was impossible to ride, the athletes enjoyed late-season warm weather.

Belgian cross specialist Kris Coddens made the title his very own but had Spanish athletes, Julen Larruzea Loroño and Jesús de la Morena Enríquez chasing for the silver and bronze respectively.

Former Spanish Olympic mountain-bike bronze medallist Margarita Fullana Riera took the crown ahead of Britain’s Louise Fox and Yolanda Magallon Vallejo. Age Group and Para categories also saw medals being won for athletes from all over Europe. All eyes in the cross-duathlon world are now focussed on a trip to Transylvania in early 2014.

The juniors had the last bit of glory on the ETU circuit and where better to race than Alanya at the end of the year!

Coming back to defend his title was Switzerland’s Max Studer http://www.triathlon.org/athletes/profile/70032 . He did just that.

It was a similar story for the defending title holder from Denmark. Alberte Kjær Pedersen. She was a comfortable winner at the race.

The very last race of the year for us was in Catania and it was nice to see Summer Cook, the USA athlete who had taken silver in Alanya at the ITU event, take that confidence to race in the beautiful location on Sicily. Taking full advantage of the pun, we ran the title, “Cook dishes up a masterclass and Hofer delights the crowds in Catania.”

She really did get a grip of the race and went back “Stateside” content with her experience in Europe.

Daniel Hofer showed true grit and determination in this race and timed his kick for the line to perfection.

The autumn began and once again our small but tight family of triathlon was hit by tragic news. French athlete Laurent Vidal passed away. ETU President, Renato Bertrandi was given the news in the early hours of that morning, “It is a terrible loss for our triathlon family. Laurent was a great athlete and had recently been making significant contributions as the ITU Athlete Representative. A wonderful character, so full of life, looking forwards to the future. He gave so much and had so much more to give.”

Taken too soon. Missed so much.

So, there you have it. A world of triathlon and duathlon. A world of great races. A world of great athletes, dedicated coaches and determined organisers and the ever-present hard-working officials. Some have left us. Some have joined us. A world … in Europe.

Thank you all and good luck in 2016.