A 6-strong New Zealand team will line up at Kitzbuehel, Austria this weekend in possibly the most eagerly anticipated race outside of the London Grand Final on this year's ITU World Triathlon Series calendar.
Kate McIlroy (Wellington), Andrea Hewitt (Christchurch), Nicky Samuels (Wanaka), Ryan Sissons (Auckland), Clark Ellice (New Plymouth) and Tony Dodds (Wanaka) will line up for a race like no other they have raced before.
The race is highly unusual in the nature of the course being used at the Austrian Alpine town this weekend, with a short but hugely demanding course lying in wait for the elite men's and women's fields.
The course covers a seemingly easy distance of 750m (swim), 11.5km (bike) and 2.5km (run), but it is the topography of that terrain that will test the athletes. The bike will climb 867m and reach a gradient of 22% during its final kilometre and the run has a climb of 136m to further sap any remaining energy from tired legs as the finish line beckons.
Tri NZ National Coach Greg Fraine senses an air of excitement in the New Zealand camp as they anticipate something a little out of the ordinary.
"We have very good athletes, very capable athletes, they love racing, they love a challenge and want to test themselves. The build up to Kitzbuehel has been quite refreshing in that sense; they are really looking forward to the challenge to see where they stack up. Our women are amongst some of the best cyclists in the world and with Tony, Ryan and Clark we have guys that can ride a bike quite well, Kiwis are known for their bike handling skill and technique and being Kiwis they like a challenge.
"This is an interesting concept, on the face of it a short race but the bike will actually be reasonably long, it will probably take the women about forty minutes to complete the eleven and a half kilometres. Six to seven kilometres of climbing will be at approximately ten kilometres per hour and the last five hundred metres is really tough. This is totally new ground for the athletes.
"This race will be very much athlete against the terrain, the winner will be person who handles that the best. There will be some tactics in how you approach it, but any drafting on bike is going to be next to zero from about the four kilometre mark, from then on it is straight into the mountain climb.
"The real challenge is running after a bike like that. The hill run will use exactly the same muscle groups as the bike, the glutes and quads. It is a flat to undulating start for the first kilometre but then heads up hill at an average ten percent gradient – tough to run up let alone 'race' up."
Fraine says the timing of the race is fine, but the long term plan has athletes performing at the business end of the season, in particular the London Grand Final in September.
"We have been at altitude for nearly a month now, so racing up here fits in well. Our altitude block here is however focused on results in London and is part of a periodisation for the whole season but it fits to race here at this time. The fact that we have been in the mountains riding bikes for some time and the different format this weekend has put us all outside our comfort zone, something that is refreshing for coaches and from a sports science point of view."
The men's race will see the London Olympic Games podium on the start line together for the first time since that epic race last year, with Alistair Brownlee, Javier Gomez and Jonathan Brownlee all taking on this epic challenge.
The women's field is similarly at full strength, with Gwen Jorgensen (USA), Anne Haug (Ger) and Jodie Stimpson (GBR) amongst the favourites.
Race Schedule: ITU World Triathlon Series - Kitzbuehel, Austria
11:06pm Saturday 6th July
Start Elite Men – live coverage on SKY Sport 4
2:26am Sunday 7th July
Start Elite Women – live coverage on SKY Sport 4
