Xterra World Cup Heats Up with Races Across Europe

The Xterra World Cup off-road triathlon series continues this weekend with races in the Czech Republic, followed by Germany next week. After a nine week break, the world's top off-road triathletes are eager to compete again and see who is in top form.

The races in Prachatice, Czech Republic on August 12-13 will have both a full distance race on Saturday and an action-packed Xterra Short Track race on Sunday. 70 elite athletes from 18 countries are on the start list, including the top ranked women and 9 of the top 10 ranked men.

Reigning Xterra World Champion Arthur Serrières has won the last 4 Czech races and hopes his recent altitude training will pay off. The Forissier brothers, Arthur and Felix, are the favorites after a strong showing earlier this season. Home crowd favorite Lukas Kocar could pull off a surprise, while current points leader Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen wants his first win of the season.

On the women's side, Alizée Paties leads the rankings but faces strong challenges from Loanne Duvoisin, Sandra Mairhofer, Solenne Billouin and Marta Menditto. All five women have won races this year and the competition is wide open.

After Czech Republic, the tour heads to Germany for another Short Track and full distance race on August 18-19. With 5 races in 15 days across 3 countries, this will be the most intense stretch of racing all year. The packed racing schedule and demanding courses will test the elites mentally and physically as they fight for the overall World Cup title.

The Xterra World Cup concludes September 21-23 in Italy with the Xterra World Championship, the final showdown to crown the 2023 champions. This is shaping up to be an exciting second half of the season!