A strong Kiwi contingent faces a wide open field this weekend with both the men’s and women’s series leaders not racing the Hamburg round of the ITU World Championship Series.
Great Britain's Alistair Brownlee and Canada's Paula Findlay have dominated proceedings this season and while both are current world number ones, neither will feature in Germany.
That leaves the door open for a raft of other athletes to stake their claim, including a strong New Zealand squad.
Elite Men's Preview
The New Zealand men's squad has been cut down to three with Wanaka's Tony Dodds confirmed to miss Hamburg after a nasty collision with a car earlier this week.
Dodds received 12 stitches to his arm and elbow after being thrown through the rear windscreen of a car in an accident while training on his bike in Darmstadt, Germany. He has been advised by medical staff to refrain from competing in Hamburg, with the potential risk of infection far too great.
Meanwhile Ryan Sissons, Kris Gemmell and Martin van Barneveld are all looking to boost their fortunes with series leader Alistair Brownlee sitting this race out.
Sissons and Gemmell are coming off a training block at Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees, where both have tapered into great form.
Having celebrated his 23rd birthday last month, Sissons is set for his final hit-out ahead of next month's Olympic selection race in London. It's been a good international season for the Aucklander, who finished 19th at the Madrid World Champs and 11th in Sydney earlier this year.
"I've been training in Font Romeu at altitude with the guidance of both my coaches, Chris Pilone and Andrew Nicholls along with training buddy Kris Gemmell for the past four weeks," Sissons said.
"I know the fitness is great, having raced in a French GP over the weekend where I was 10th after only two days down from altitude and barely any rest.
"Leading into Hamburg this weekend I've been able to rest up at the amazing facilities in Saarbrucken, Germany. Hopefully this easy week will do good for the body, and I guess we will only find out on Saturday. I'm looking for a strong performance and with only three weeks until London it's a great opportunity to have a solid hit out."
Gemmell is in search of a big result having had no luck on the World Champs circuit so far this season. He was 40th in Sydney and ended up 54th in Madrid due to problems with asthma.
Meanwhile, Spain's Javier Gomez, Russian Alexander Brukhanov and a strong hometown German squad will be hoping to spoil the party. With Brownlee out, Brukhanov will jump into the series lead if he finishes inside the top four on race day. German Olympic gold medallist Jan Frodeno will be extra hungry in front of his home fans while Australian Chris McCormack continues his ITU comeback following a DNF in Kitzbuhel.
Elite Women's Preview
Currently ranked third in the world, Andrea Hewitt is a strong contender in a talent-stacked women's field.
Hewitt's best result so far this season came at the Sydney World Champs where she finished on the podium in third place. She will be looking to build on that and finish on top in Hamburg. Motivation will not be lacking for the Cantabrian, who is one of only two athletes who still have a realistic chance to overtake Paula Findlay on points this season.
The other woman who could leap-frog Findlay is Chile's Barbara Riveros Diaz, who is currently world number two and will also be looking to take full advantage in the early hours of Monday morning (NZT).
Joining Hewitt on the start line are fellow Kiwis Kate McIlroy, Debbie Tanner and Rebecca Spence.
Wellington's McIlroy has been in hot form lately, coming off a 12th place finish in Kitzbuhel and an impressive 6th in Madrid.
Tanner is looking to rebound after a frustrating few months of racing in which she finished 22nd in Kitzbuhel and was forced to pull out due to breathing problems in Madrid. But she has bounced back with steely resolve and is eyeing a solid result in Hamburg with London's Olympic selection race now just weeks away.
Sam Warriner remains the only Kiwi to win in Hamburg, taking out the World Cup event in 2005.
Live video coverage from Hamburg is available on race day at triathlonlive.tv or follow @triathlonlive on twitter for live text updates.
Dextro Energy ITU World Championship Series: Hamburg, Germany
1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run
Elite Men – Sunday July 17, 12:00am (NZT)
Delayed coverage on Sky Sport and live coverage at www.triathlon.org
- Ryan Sissons (Auckland)
- Kris Gemmell (Palmerston North)
- Martin van Barneveld (Wellington)
Elite Women – Monday July 18, 1.20am (NZT)
Live coverage on Sky Sport and www.triathlon.org
- Andrea Hewitt (Christchurch)
- Kate McIlroy (Wellington)
- Debbie Tanner (Auckland)
- Rebecca Spence (Auckland)
