View XTERRA World Cup series page
A supercharged series for professional off-road triathletes. Seven stops, twelve races, and a record $340,000+ prize purse for XTERRA's strongest and fastest to contend for on the road to becoming the first XTERRA World Cup Champion.
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.
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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.
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While each full-distance and short track race will have their individual winners, the title of XTERRA World Cup Champion will go to the male and female athletes that finish the series with the highest total score. But not all races dish out an equal amount of points and not all races will be counted to the total score. So how does it work?
"Every stop has a winner but the overall victory goes to the male and female athletes that finish the series with the highest score."
First, points are weighted according to discipline (full-distance vs short track) and event status. The XTERRA World Championship race offers the most with the winner taking 120 points, Continental Championships (APAC, Europe, USA) offer the next highest with 110 points for first place, then the Gold Level tour races with 100 for the top spot, and finally the Short Track races with 20 points allocated to the first finisher.
Then, it’s only the top races from each athlete that matter. Athletes can play to their strengths with the courses that suit them best as their final score will be the total sum of the following:
The elites with the highest total score in the mens’ and womens’ category will be crowned the XTERRA World Cup Champion and, if eligible, will also walk away with the series bonus.
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See the full breakdown of the points to contend for at each race here.
Over and above the accumulative $240,000 prize purse for the 12 races (paid in US$ or Euros according to race location), the 2023 XTERRA World Cup will also have a €100,000 series bonus to contend for.
To be eligible for the €100,000 series bonus, athletes must race at least two of the three continental championship events - the APAC Champs, the Euro Champs, or the USA Champs. The key point here, however, is ‘race’ and not ‘score’. If an athlete gets a DNF by means of a mechanical or any other reason at a championship race, they can still use any of the first six full-distance races to complete their top four.
Similarly, the XTERRA World Championship full-distance race is a ‘must-count’ so those who don't start, don't finish, or don't place will count 0 as one of their eight scores.
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See the complete 2023 World Cup series bonus and prize purse denominations here.
The very first race of the freshly-minted format kicks off on April 15 when the 2023 Asia-Pacific Championship returns once again to Kenting, Taiwan. The series then heads to the USA, Belgium, Czech Republic, and Germany before heading back to The States for the USA Champs and finally finishing strong at the biggest event of the year - the 2023 XTERRA World Championship in Molveno, Italy.
April 15 - XTERRA Asia-Pacific Championship
Location: Kenting, Taiwan
Max points: 110
Total prize purse: US$25,000
Location: Shelby County, USA
Max points: 100
Total prize purse: US$15,000
May 21 - XTERRA Oak Mountain Short Track
Location: Shelby County, USA
Max points: 20
Total prize purse: US$5,000
June 10 - XTERRA European Championship
Location: Namur, Belgium
Max points: 110
Total prize purse: EUR€25.000
June 11 - XTERRA Belgium Short Track
Location: Namur, Belgium
Max points: 20
Total prize purse: EUR€5.000
Location: Prachatice, Czech Republic
Max points: 100
Total prize purse: EUR€15.000
Aug 13 - XTERRA Czeck Short Track
Location: Prachatice, Czech Republic
Max points: 20
Total prize purse: EUR€5.000
Aug 18 - XTERRA Germany Short Track
Location: Zittau, Germany
Max points: 20
Total prize purse: EUR€5.000
Location: Zittau, Germany
Max points: 100
Total prize purse: EUR€15.000
Aug 26 - XTERRA USA Championship
Location: Avon, USA
Max points: 110
Total prize purse: US$25,000
Sep 23 - XTERRA World Championship
Location: Trentino, Italy
Max points: 120
Total prize purse: EUR€100.000
Sep 24 - XTERRA Trentino Short Track
Location: Trentino, Italy
Max points: 20
Total prize purse: EUR€5.000
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The title of XTERRA Champion is, and will always be, awarded to the first male and female to cross the line at the annual XTERRA World Championship. Right now that honour belongs to French athletes Arthur Serrieres and Solenne Billouin who crossed the line after 2:38:21 and 3:11:05 respectively in Trentino, Italy on October 1, 2022. For those who were there to witness it, no one will have forgotten what it meant to Serrieres as he captured the most elusive title of his career.
But as of 2023, a new champion will be crowned - the XTERRA World Cup Champion - and whether one athlete will walk away with both titles or not is anybody’s guess. The XTERRA World Cup is likely to catch the attention of a few names outside the XTERRA circuit who may shake up the status quo. At the same time, the format also allows current top contenders to be tactical in the races they choose and plot a path to victory that plays to their strengths. Even so, it will still take nothing short of a world-class performance to outswim, outride, and outrun the current XTERRA World Champions. But come race day, anything can happen.
2023 is set to be a massive year for XTERRA off-road racing. With the launch of the XTERRA World Cup and the XTERRA Trail Run World Series, the return of XTERRA Short Track racing, the APAC Tour and the Americas Tour, the first ever XTERRA Trail Run World Championship and a trip back to the Brenta Dolomites for the XTERRA World Championship, the calendar is absolutely stacked.
Now is the calm before the storm. But that all changes on January 21 at 7:30am in Grabouw as the starting gun gets the first race of XTERRA South Africa underway and officially marks the start of the biggest XTERRA season yet.
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Probably one of the most exciting aspects of the entire series is the live stream coverage. All 5 of the short track races will be live streamed direct from between the tape while 6 of the 7 full-distance races will have live stream coverage with commentary from current and ex pro athletes, industry professionals, and long-time XTERRA enthusiasts.
All live streamed races will be available for free at xterrplanet.com.
For all the between-the-races series coverage, check in at xterraplanet.com/world-cup and be sure to follow on Instagram and Facebook for additional series content.
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