Short Track Round 1: Xonrupt Ready for Opening Showdown

XTERRA Short Track is unquestionably the most action-packed series of the season, and XTERRA France is by far the biggest event of the year so far. And this weekend, these two behemoth events will collide in the small village of Xonrupt for an all-out off-road spectacle that will have the 5000+ spectators bringing a roaring track-side atmosphere to a packed arena.

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But there is more than just the wall of noise from fans that will get XTERRA Short Track 2022 started with a bang. The French leg of the series will also feature a unique format that will give spectators more than they expected as the infamous bike park gets put to full use.

3X the action

The Short Track format is designed to condense all the action of an XTERRA full-distance triathlon into a compact course where fans can watch from the sideline as the elites battle it out through the swim, bike, and run stages of the race. But Round 1 will up the ante even further as a shortened track will see the athletes complete the course three times over - swim-bike-run-swim-bike-run-swim-bike-run - for more twists and turns in the fight for the first.

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A single loop starts with a 200-swim before heading into a 2-km bike section packed with features, and finishes with a 1-km sprint on foot before heading back into the water for the next loop.

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With each athlete’s strength lying in a different discipline, no lead is safe until the finish line has been crossed.

The best bike section of the series

You can guarantee that the majority of fans will be heading to the infamous bike park to catch the action from inside one of the most exciting features of XTERRA France.

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An intricate course made up of 1924 wooden pallets, the bike track raises the action above the heads of the spectators so that almost every ramp, berm, and roller is visible from almost anywhere in the arena.

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The bike park is the heart and soul of the venue, and for 40 minutes on July 2, fans and spectators around the world will get to see exactly why it brings in over 2000 athletes for a single weekend of racing.

A star-studded elite lineup

With no less than 65 international elite racers set to compete at XTERRA France, you can be sure the Short Track race will be the most highly contested race of the weekend.

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The man to beat will be the reigning World Cross Tri Champ, Arthur Serrieres (FRA), while the women will be up against the 2021 World Cross Triathlon Champion, Loanne Duvoisin (SUI).

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But with the list of big names set to line up shoulder to shoulder on Saturday, nothing is guaranteed.

Qualification for this round of the series is based on overall XTERRA rankings, with 20 of the top-ranked athletes in attendance, along with 5 wild cards, awarded a coveted place on the starting line.

Round 1 Womens’ Elite Lineup:

XWR* – Name, NAT

2 - Loanne Duvoisin, SUI
4 - Samantha Kingsford, NZL
5 - Alizee Paties, FRA
9 - Solenne Billouin, FRA
10 - Jindriska Zemanova, CZE
11 - Morgane Riou, FRA
15 - Marta Menditto, ITA
16 - Carina Wasle, AUT
22 - Segolene Leberon, FRA
23 - Amanda Felder, USA
35 - Jacqui Allen, GBR
36 - Hana Odlova, CZE
40 - Camille Jobard, FRA
41 - Evelyne Trepte, SUI
46 - Barbora Stupkova, CZE
51 - Bonnie Van Wilgenburg, GBR
53 - Gaelle Leduc, FRA
87 - Honorine Sulliot, FRA
107 - Marine Echevin, FRA
172 - Katja Krenn, AUT
235 - Lyson Dumont, FRA
NR - Faustine Bachelet, FRA
NR - Maria Doring, GER
NR - Solene Marmoni, FRA
*XTERRA World Rank

Round 1 Mens’ Elite Lineup:

XWR* – Name, NAT

2 - Arthur Serrieres, FRA
3 - Ruben Ruzafa, ESP
5 - Sébastien Carabin, BEL
7 - Felix Forissier, FRA
8 - Maxim Chane, FRA
9 - Sam Osborne, NZL
10 - Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen, DEN
12 - Panagiotis Bitados, GRE
15 - Arthur Forissier, FRA
19 - Xavier Dafflon, SUI
20 - Jens Roth, GER
21 - Francois Vie, POR
23 - Guillaume Meunier, FR
25 - Francois Carloni, FRA
28 - Michele Bonacina, ITA
31 - Federico Spinazze, ITA
32 - Mathias Cloostermans, BEL
33 - Rui Dolores, POR
36 - Andrea Zanenga, ITA
41 - Geert Laryssen, BEL
45 - Lucas Van Deynze, BEL
55 - Jacques Martinez, FRA
56 - Kristoffer Visti Graae, DEN
62 - Kieran Jackson, IRL
89 - Tom Fisher, AUS
*XTERRA World Rank

Waitlist:
64 - Swiad Snieder, GER
68 - Wouter Dijkshoorn, NED
69 - Nicolas Dure, FRA

Round 1 of the XTERRA Short Track series kicks off on July 2nd, with the womens’ race starting at 16:20 CEST and the men's at 17:20 CEST. Both races will be broadcast LIVE and direct (and free) from between the tapes and available globally to anybody with a taste for fast, adrenaline-fuelled, off-road racing.

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Sign up here to get all the live links sent directly to you along with series updates and race reminders. Also be sure to follow the below event pages to stay up to date with the series.

[LIVE] XTERRA Short Track - France
[LIVE] XTERRA Short Track - Czech Republic
[LIVE] XTERRA Short Track - Germany
[LIVE] XTERRA Short Track - Italy