How to watch the PTO Canadian Open

The PTO’s first ever Tour event is set to take place in Edmonton this weekend on 23-24 July, with the pro men and women racing on separate days along the infamous Canadian river valley.

Here’s how to watch the world’s best triathletes battle it out for a share of the $1m prize purse…

Who’s racing the PRO Canadian Open in Edmonton?

Not only is there a substantial prize to be won for the elite racers, it’ll also be the last chance to secure a place in the 2022 PTO Collin’s Cup.

Making a long-awaited return to racing after illness ruled him out of St George and injury out of the Pho3nix Sub7 attempt is Alistair Brownlee, who’ll be looking to podium.

He’ll have the chance to race take on reigning world and Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt and his compatriot and 70.3 champion Gustav Iden. Keen for a home win will be long-distance king Lionel Sanders, but he’ll have further competition from Germany’s Sebastian Kienle.

On the women’s side, Canadian middle-distance star Paula Findlay will be hoping to add to her 2021 success at Challenge Daytona, but she’ll be kept on her toes by the likes of Germany’s Laura Philipp, who recently set that incredible Ironman record in Hamburg, plus USA’s Skye Moench and Swiss star Nicola Spirig.

The British contingent will be out in full to fight for the podium with the likes of Emma Pallant-Browne, Holly Lawrence, Nikki Bartlett, Fenella Langridge and Laura Siddall all due to compete.

The course

The pro course follows a 100km format, that’s a 2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run. Set in the stunning 68-acre Hawrelak Park in Edmonton’s river valley, spectators will be seated in the centre of the action within a purpose-built stadium area.

Alongside this area is the location of the swim start. The elite athletes will complete over three laps of the park’s manmade freshwater lake, swimming around a central island with the aid of turning buoys.

Each lap will be marked by a crowd-pleasing Aussie exit, where the athletes must run up the beach and around a large tree before plunging back into the water. The water is likely to be around 20°C, which makes this just about a wetsuit-legal swim.

Then it’s onto the bike, which takes in four 20km laps of downtown Edmonton with stretches along the North Saskatchewan River and some merciless hills. The PTO says that the climbs average between 4-8% gradient and are 800m to 2km in length.

Lastly, the final four-lap run course will be primarily flat along the greenery of Hawrelak Park, each 4.5km lap crossing over the river to Buena Vista Park, before a U-turn back to the stadium.

When is the PTO Canadian Open Edmonton?

Aside from the many age-group events taking place throughout the weekend, the men and women’s elite races are due to take place on different days, here’s the times in BST (British Summer Time):

Saturday 23 July, 5:30pm: Elite women’s start (broadcast starts 5:30pm)

Sunday 24 July, 7:30pm: Elite men’s start (broadcast starts 7:30pm)

How to watch the PTO Canadian Open

Watch the PTO Canadian Open live from the comfort of your home via the official broadcast channels. Those following along in Europe can watch on Eurosport, Discovery+, andGTN+ while the rest of the world can watch via the PTO+ app either online or on your phone.

Top image credit: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images