The season is already packed full of character with some iconic locations awaiting the team in 2014.

 

Take a look at one of the highlights of the 2013 season, as the Great Britain Age-Group Team dominated the ITU Age-Group Triathlon World Championships in London.

 

 

Winter triathlon gets the season started in Italy for the ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships this weekend. The venue in Cogne was also the host last year, and Great Britain will be hoping to add to the 2 gold and a silver medal won in the 2013 event.

 

After the early winter triathlon racing, the action warms as the duathlon season kicks in. The next stop on the Great Britain Age-Group Team calendar is Horst in the Netherlands for the ETU Powerman Long Distance and Sprint Duathlon European Championships on 12 April. Great Britain has strong medal-winning tradition in this duathlon event having celebrated 15 gold, 8 silver and 10 bronze medals in 2013 alongside elite victories for Lucy Gossage and silver medal performances by George Schweining and Liam Lloyd in the junior races. Great Britain will be aiming to send a big team to this event, which is synonymous for its very large and very vocal crowd.

 

Keeping to the duathlon theme, Pontevedra hosts the ITU Duathlon World Championships on 31 May. A venue more known for its triathlon racing after hosting numerous ITU World Cups and the ETU Triathlon European Championships in 2011, will replace the swim with a run on this occasion. The team won 17 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze medals in last year’s event and will be aiming for more success in North West Spain in 2014. 

 

As the traditional duathlon season comes to a close, Cross Triathlon is next up for Britain’s age-group athletes. Sardinia will host the European Championships on 1 June. The race action will start from the beach in Cala Ginepro, in what event organisers describe as, ‘The Pearl of the Mediterranean’, although a very technical course will follow, so the Brits will need to be on top form to capture the medals.

 

The ETU Triathlon European Championships take place in the stunning scenery of Kitzbuhel from 19 June and the Great Britain Age-Group Team will be out in force with 700 athletes already qualified to race. The iconic location will also be attractive to spectators, with the unique opportunity to soak up the alpine scenery whilst cheering on your friends and family as they try and replicate the performances of Britain’s Alistair Brownlee and Jodie Stimpson who won here in 2013.

 

Just two events separate the Europeans with the ITU Triathlon World Championships, with the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships on 16 August in Germany and the ETU Powerman Duathlon European Championships in Weyer, Austria.

 

Edmonton is the venue for the 2014 ITU World Championships and the Grand Final of the ITU World Triathlon Series for the elite athletes from 25 August to 1 September. The race will be known locally as ‘TRIEDMONTON: The Rally in the Valley’, with the action unfolding within the scenic Hawrelak Park, which hosted the 2001 ITU Triathlon World Championship and Edmonton’s expansive river valley.

 

The ITU Aquathlon World Championships gets the racing underway on 27 August, whilst the sprint and standard distance races take place on 29 August and 1 September respectively. London delivered Great Britain’s largest ever medal-tally, but although there may well be a smaller team in Canada, the British athletes will maintain their focus to deliver yet more medal-winning performances.

 

The season doesn’t end in Canada, as Britain’s athletes turn their attention to long-distance triathlon, First the ETU Challenge Long Distance Triathlon European Championships in Almere on 13 September and then the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships on 21 September in Weihai, China. The 2014 Challenge Paguera-Mallorca ETU Middle Distance Triathlon European Championships take place on 18 October 2014.

 

What does an athlete do after the racing comes to a close? Book their ticket for the Awards Dinner, would be a great option. The night will once again be a celebration of the year and we hope to have as many members of the Great Britain Age-Group Team as possible in attendance. Full details will be announced later in the year.

 

Malcolm Westwood, British Triathlon Director for Age-Group Team is looking forward to the season commenting: “It doesn’t matter which event the Great Britain Age-Group Team travel to, it always inspires me to see how passionate they are to be racing for Great Britain and how dedicated they are to their training and racing. The athletes of course have a great support team, with team managers at the majority of events who help create a team spirit that is the envy of the world; ensuring every athlete is guaranteed their very own fan club no matter where they race.”

 

Events Schedule

15/ February 2014: Cogne ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships

12 April 2014: Horst ETU Powerman Long Distance and Sprint Duathlon European Championships

31 May 2014: Pontevedra ITU Duathlon World Championships

1 June 2014: Sardinia ETU TNatura Cross Triathlon European Championships

19 June 2014: Kitzbühel ETU Triathlon European Championships

16 August 2014: Zittau ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships

23 August 2014: Weyer ETU Powerman Duathlon European Championships

27 August 2014: Edmonton ITU Aquathlon World Championships

29 August 2014: Edmonton ITU Triathlon World Championships

13 September  2014: Almere ETU Challenge Long Distance Triathlon European Championships

21 September 2014: Weihai ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships

18 October 2014: Challenge Paguera-Mallorca ETU Middle Distance Triathlon European Championships