The XTERRA World Cup makes its debut this year and for anybody who appreciates the sheer endurance, speed and power of XTERRA’s elite, you’re going to want to keep an eye on this one. The new format significantly ramps up the stakes to draw XTERRA’s fastest and strongest elite athletes into a 7-stop, 12-race circuit that will undoubtedly produce some of the fiercest competition in off-road triathlon.
The series may only be open to elites, but with over $340,000 on the line, the largest purse in XTERRA history, fans and spectators can expect a wild ride through each of the full-distance and short track races as deeper competition pushes the sport to a new level.
Differing from the XTERRA World Tour, which is open to all age group athletes and currently spans 51 races across 24 countries and offers qualifying slots to the XTERRA World Championship, the World Cup is an elite-only, points-based competition with all the action and prize money condensed into 7 full-distance races and 5 short track races spread across just 7 stops. Similar to the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, every stop has a winner but the overall victory goes to the male and female athletes that finish the series with the highest score.
This means very different things depending on which side of the tape you're on. For those between the tape, it means more prize money to contend for and the chance to plan their season around a series that is, for the most part, travel and recovery friendly. With the exception of Czech, Germany, and the USA Champs which are separated by only a week, each of the other stops are separated by almost a month. However, athletes do not need to race every stop as their final score will only include the points earned at their top races, so they can be tactical about which races they choose. More on that in a bit.
"This series will mark another milestone in the progression of the sport."
But for those outside of the tape who have been following the growth of cross tri, this series will mark another milestone in the progression of the sport. Greater competition is what pushes all sports forward. We’ve seen it in Europe where the depth of the elite field has produced such formidable forces as Arthur Serrieres, Ruben Ruzafa, the Forissier brothers, Solenne Billouin and Sandra Mairhofer. Now, with the XTERRA World Cup offering a significantly higher prize purse all the way down to 10th position, those in the front will be pushed harder, forced to take risks, and collectively raise the level of elite off-road racing.
