It is one of the oldest cities in Europe and has a long and lasting tradition of cycling sports, so it was just about time that the Belgium city on Antwerp joined the ITU World Cup circuit with an astonishing event ready to take the stage this weekend. The race, with some of the greatest triathletes of the world lining up, will be the eighth stop of the season as we reach the halfway point of what has already been an incredible 2018 for our sport, and represents the biggest triathlon event in the country in almost 20 years.
The new sprint-distance course will take in a one-lap, 750m circuit around Antwerp Harbour before the athletes transition onto their bikes for a technical 22.6km ride through the city streets. From there, the final section will see the runners loop back around the harbour before finishing by the grandstands overlooking the water and the beautiful Museum aan de Stroom.
Men’s Preview
After his splendid performance only one week ago in WTS Leeds, Belgium Marten Van Riel will be indeed the home-crowd favourite and wearing the number one in this race will be enough to give him the extra fuel needed to recover from the Olympic distance race and face the demanding course of his hometown. But Van Riel will have to share the spectator’s cheers with his teammate, Jelle Geens, who has had some of his best results in sprint races.
It won’t be an easy challenge for him, though, with some other strong triathletes lining up in the Harbour. Matthew Sharpe and Tyler Mislawchuk, both Canadians, have had really strong performances in the last few weeks, with Mislawchuk earning his first ever top five in a WTS in Yokohama and both of them helping the Canadians claiming the seventh place in the first event of the World Triathlon Mixed Relays Series in Nottingham.
Another American, Kevin McDowell (USA), will also be trying to redeem himself of the not so great performances in the last races, looking forward going back to the top ten positions that he earned at the beginning of the seasons in a couple of World Cups. Germany’s Jonas Schomburg is also returning to the World Cup circuit, after focussing on WTS events, and will be likely among the ones to watch if he can put together another strong display on the bike as the ones he usually does.
Spaniard Uxio Abuin Ares will also put up a show in Antwerp, after one of the strongest swims of his career only two weeks ago in Cagliari World Cup. With him in the pack of favourites will also be…
https://www.triathlon.org/news/article/antwerp_ready_to_join_the_world_cup_circuit