Hamburg Preview: WCS 2011 series hits halfway point
ITU World Series rolls into Hamburg for iconic race
Hamburg will mark the halfway point in the 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series with the battle for the top of the series leaderboard now getting serious.
With neither current men’s or women’s leader, Alistair Brownlee or Paula Findlay, racing in the German round, it’s a perfect opportunity for others to stake their claim and possibly take the lead in the series. Among them will be Javier Gomez, Alexander Brukhankov, Barbara Riveros Diaz and Andrea Hewitt – all of whom have the best chance of walking away from Hamburg with the lead.
Hamburg has hosted a World Cup event since 2002, and the ITU World Championships in 2007, before coming on board as in the first year of the Dextro Energy Triathlon Series in 2009. The entire centre of the city shuts down for triathlon weekend as 10,000 age-group athletes race on the same venue as the elites, diving into the River Alster before biking and running through the heart of the city. Hamburg is always an athlete and fan favourite, as crowds turn out in thousands to create an amazing atmosphere. It’s the second largest city in Germany, behind Berlin, with a population of 1.8-million.
SCHEDULE:
Elite Men – Saturday, July 16 – 2:00 pm (UTC/GMT +2) Click here for time in your area
Elite Women – Sunday, July 17 – 3:20 pm (UTC/GMT +2) Click here for time in your area
WEBSITES:
http://www.hamburg-triathlon.org
START LISTS:
Click here for women’s start list
Click here for men’s start list
LIVE COVERAGE:
Live video coverage from Hamburg will be available on race day at triathlonlive.tv
Or follow @triathlonlive on Twitter for text updates on race day.
TOTAL PRIZE MONEY:
$150,000 USD (equal for men & women)
Matt Baird
Editor of Cycling Plus magazine 
