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