Europe Triathlon

Over the weekend we saw the last of the triathlon races of the ETU season. What a busy year it has been. Later we will be providing you with a look back over the events but … with the shops now selling 2017 diaries, I am sure you will want to start planning your year.

Don’t forget, these races are not usually “standalone” events but also feature an “Open Race”. Why not travel out to support your favourite athletes, take your bike and enter the open race. In Alanya last weekend there were 38 nations represented in the Age Group Sprint and Standard races. What better way to gain valuable racing experience and also to have a well-deserved holiday at the same time.
The ETU Executive Board met in Alanya and amongst many items on their agenda was the 2017 Calendar.

First up and confirmed are the championship events.

Our 2017 season will start with a very welcome return to Estonia. The venue in January this year for the Winter Triathlon Championships was truly stunning. World Cup biathlon is raced here and the snow quality was easily the best that we have seen in years. Value for money and accessible from either Tallinn or Tartu airports, this is a must for the winter tri fans. Otepää is the venue and 27th / 28th January is the date for your diaries.  What better way to get race-ready than to go to Romania the weekend before and to race the ETU Winter Triathlon European Cup in Cheile Grădiștei.
Next up is a treat for duathlon fans. The end of April will see the spring in full swing. In Soria, a city located about half-way between Madrid and Zaragoza. Age Group, Junior, Para and Elite will be able to race for medals. (AG Sprint and Standard. Juniors and Para Sprint, Elite Standard).

Aquathlon in 2017 moves from France to Slovakia. If you have never been to Bratislava, then put this into your diary. It is beautiful up in the old town. Easy to get to from Vienna, or fly to Bratislava itself. Medals were lost this year by the host nation but snapped up by the travel Brits. 2017, in Central Europe, makes it more attractive to athletes from Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic and Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia.

Herning, in Denmark, will see the Middle Distance Championships. Once more working with Challenge Family, ETU is looking forwards to a great event in this central location.

With perhaps an Aquathlon medal already won, there may be some athletes who will look to Kitzbühel for more gold, silver and bronze. This hugely popular venue will see the standard distance championships.

The Sprint Championships will move from the Standard Championships and in 2017 will take place in Düsseldorf. The plans for a draft-legal championships for Age Group athletes have been accepted and the one-lap course will see the first ETU draft-legal racing. Of course there will also be races for the Elite and Paras.

We had a fantastic Youth European Championships Festival in Tiszaújváros. The feedback gave a very clear signal that this really was a great way forwards for the development of our youth athletes. 2017 will see this festival move to Lithuania and the established event in Kupiškis. With a site visit coming up soon, the venue could possibly be moved to Panevėžys. We will update as sonn as possible.

The youths will be in Lithuania but the Clubs will be back in Banyoles. This year saw 18 clubs race against each other in the mixed relay format. 10 nations tested each other. Can we improve upon this in 2017? Also, pencilled in is a Junior Club competition.

One of the most positive responses we had from Age Group athletes in 2016 was from the cross-duathlon championships in Târgu Mureș. The Romanian Federation has bid for a return in 2017 but with the addition of the Cross-Triathlon Championships. So, up on the hill for the duathlon and down on the river for the triathlon. The airport is just 8k from the city centre.

We saw great competition between the U23 athletes and the final Mixed Relay was as exciting as it gets. Burgas hosted this in 2016 but for 2017 we move to Velence in Hungary. Just south west from Budapest, easy to get to, put this in the diary, add a couple of days and explore the city.

For our long-distance fans, the announcement came out yesterday. Yes, it will be once again in Almere. This really is a classic race and the second-oldest triathlon after Kona.

A programme of Regional Championships, in the Balkans, Baltic, and Mediterranean and for the Nordic nations will be announced after the Madrid Congress. These races are “open” events that allow athletes from all over the world to race in our ETU host cities an d that permits points to be won!

The ETU Triathlon European Cup schedule is a busy one and will allow athletes from Europe to compete against the increasingly large numbers of non-Europeans. Again and again we hear positive comments from those athletes who have travelled from Australia, New Zealand, USA and South America. We have great races and we are great hosts.

The season kicks off in 2017 with a late March race in Las Palmas. We then move down towards the Atlantic with one of our favourites. Quarteira will once more feature. A truly challenging sea swim when the winds are blowing and that bike course with the climb! For many years now the Portuguese Federation have hosted this race and every year it delivers, with Juniors and Elite having the chance to test their winter training.

Weert in the Netherlands returns. Having hosted a YOG qualifier in the past and then in 2016 coming into the schedule with a standard distance event, we saw some top performances. July will see one of the most popular events on our calendar. Holten, the town that has a waiting list for volunteers and more flags along the course than any other event we know of, will start the month of July. With the first of our Premium Cups. More prize-money and more points. Juniors and Elite can race here and enjoy the amazing hospitality and of course the closing party.

Estonia has shown us again and again that they can deliver well-organised events in all seasons. Tartu will see racing over the Sprint distance a week after Holten. Then, moving to warmer climes, we see the action travel south to Turkey. In 2016 the local police were unable to provide the cover needed for the course and so we missed out on Eğirdir. Great news for 2017, it’s back.

Tiszaújváros will host the Junior Cup in the latter half of July. A festival of triathlon in 2016 will be replaced by a focus on the junior athletes in 2017. From Turkey we move to Tabor in the Czech Republic. Over 70 Junior Men and over 50 Junior Women raced this year.

In August, Malmö will see the athletes move up to the northern part of Europe. In 2016 a number of athletes remained there before heading east to Norway but sadly at the moment we do not have any news about the return of Tønsberg. After the Swedish race it is Belgium that will host a sprint event in Wuustwezel. Just north of Antwerp and so very easy to access, this will be the 11th race in the town but the first time on our calendar. In 2016 hundreds of children raced the “Kids Event” and this year it will be even more exciting as they have a chance to see our international athletes race the Sprint Distance.

The very same day in Riga there will be a Junior European Cup. A city centre race is always exciting but this one has really caught athletes’ attention. The Juniors can then fly, drive or take the train down to Lausanne for the next Junior Cup a week later. World Championships have been held here in the past and the course is a real delight to race and to watch.

At the end of August we will see racing head to Ljubljana.  Races for Elite and for Juniors are planned in this stunning Slovenian city.

The first week of September will see a return to Tulcea, Romania. Junior athletes will be able to start a mini-series of races in Slovenia, then move to Romania for Tulcea and then to Zagreb, Croatia. All in the space of 3 weeks.

We have just returned from Alanya. It really is an end of season pleasure to enjoy the warm hospitality of the Turkish Federation and the people of Alanya and of course the sunshine. Alanya will host the Elite and Junior Cups once more but our closing races, including the ETU Triathlon European Cup Final, will move to Melilla and will host as well a Junior Cup.