A squad of 484 Great Britain Age-Group Team duathletes will descend on the Spanish city of Pontevedra in search of medals at the 2014 Pontevedra ITU Sprint and Standard Distance Duathlon World Championships this weekend, 31 May to 1 June

 

The sprint will be raced over a 5km run, 20km bike, 2.5km run and 249 athletes will be in the Great Britain Age-Group Team, including two returning world champions in Alan Murchison (M40-44) and Maurice Young (M80+). 

 

The standard distance course is 10km, 40km, 5km, and 235 age group athletes will be representing Great Britain, including seven returning world champions in Ryan Ostler (M20-24), James Coleman (M25-29), Jayne Williams (F40-44), Lee Piercy (M40-44), Steve McKeown (M45-49), Gill Fullen (F50-54) and Elspeth Knott (F60-64). 

 

Elspeth Knott, who also won her age group at the ETU Duathlon European Championships in Horst this year, said: "I'm apprehensive but I am looking forward to it. There are more British ladies in my age-group this year, which is good as it means I'll have some company. I think people are excited as they are arriving and beginning to get a look at the course and a feel for the place. We're all getting to know what's going to happen on the day. - the run is through the old town, which will be good. I've been round the course on my bike, and it's uphill for 10km - twice - so it's a hilly one but it's not too twisty. It's a fair test."

 

Great Britain has three athletes in the elite races, competing over a 10km, 40km, 5km course. Phil Wylie and Danny Russell line up in the men's field, while Gillian Palmer, looking to build on an impressive sixth place at the ETU Powerman European Sprint Duathlon Championships in Horst in April, is in the women's.

 

The junior and U23 men's and women's races are over the sprint distance of 5km, 20km, 2.5km. In the juniors, Deri Stewart, George Goodwin and Richard Allen go in the men's race and Bronwen Owen and Kate Curran in the women's. Great Britain's sole representative in the U23 races is last year's ITU World Duathlon Championships Junior women's gold medalist, Georgina Schwiening, and there is also a team entered in the mixed relay.

 

The championships are also hosting the ETU Paraduathlon European Championships and British hopes are resting on the shoulders of Adrian Howden in the Men's PT4 category.

 

A squad of 34 will travel to Germany to represent the Great Britain Age-Group Team at the 2014 Cologne ETU Aquathlon European Championships this Saturday, 31 May. The event is for elite and age-group athletes over a 2.5km run/1km swim/2.5km run.

 

In the elite race, Richard Stannard is joined by Neil Eddy and Nick Beer, while Great Britain is represented in the women's race by Hannah Kitchen, Eloise Crowley and Emma Holt. Stannard will be hoping to go one better than the silver he won at the 2012 ITU Aquathlon World Championships in Auckland, where Eddy finished one place back in bronze. 

 

Rory Downie, the 2012 ETU U23 Cross Triathlon Champion, will carry British hopes as the country's only entrant in the elite race at the 2014 ETU Cross Triathlon European Championships in Sardinia. Downie will be joined by 13 representatives of the Great Britain Age-Group Team at the race this Sunday, 1 June, which also hosts the first round of the 2014 ETU TNatura Cross Triathlon European Cup series. 

 

Downie will be part of a field of 53 elite, U23 and junior athletes on the 1.5km swim, 30km mountain bike and 10km run in the Bidderosa Natural Park, among them the home hope Alessio Picco, second at the 2013 ETU Cross Triathlon European Championships, and the reigning women's ITU Cross Triathlon World Champion Helena Erbenova of the Czech Republic.

 

In the age-group race, Great Britain's Nicholas Farnell (M55-59) will be hoping to improve on the impressive silver he won at last year's championships in Austria.

 

Back on home shores, the second leg of the British Triathlon Youth and Junior Super Series is taking place at the PruHealth World Triathlon London this Saturday, 31 May. 

 

The first leg of the series took place at the British Elite Duathlon Championships at Rockingham in March and some of the juniors who enjoyed success there are taking their duathlon form into the 2014 ITU Duathlon World Championships at Pontevedra. Bronwen Owen, the series leader, will be in Pontevedra, as will the men's top three - George Goodwin, Deri Stewart and Richard Allen. These absences, though, leave the remaining athletes with plenty of incentive to take over at the top in front of the home crowds. 

 

In the women's youth race, all the top three in the standings - Kate Waugh, Emma Clapton and Elizabeth Hood - will be at Hyde Park and in the men's race the second and third placed athletes - Alex Yee and Jack Kerr - will be competing.