New Zealand's London-bound triathletes have one final hit out before the Olympic Games when they race at the latest round of the ITU World Triathlon Series in Hamburg, Germany this weekend.
It will be the 10th year in a row Hamburg has hosted an ITU race, with a horde of Olympic athletes from around the world joining the Kiwis in what will be a fast and furious tune-up.
With the exception of Andrea Hewitt, the entire New Zealand Olympic Team is competing in Hamburg including Bevan Docherty, Kris Gemmell, Ryan Sissons, Kate McIlroy and Nicky Samuels, as well as reserves Clark Ellice and Debbie Tanner. Tony Dodds is also on the start line.
Current ITU World Triathlon Series championship leader Hewitt has opted to remain at her training base in Sete, France rather than race this weekend.
Triathlon New Zealand National Coach Greg Fraine said the fast and flat Hamburg course is a good lead-in to what athletes will face just a few weeks later in London.
"Hamburg is situated ideally in the calendar as a last sharpener prior to London and is also a good practice on a fast and technical course. The distance is a sprint so it will act as a blow out and test of form without the usual stress of an Olympic distance race. All athletes are looking forward to racing and Hamburg is one of their favourite venues," Fraine said.
"Following this weekend four members of the Olympic team will travel to our Oxford base for final preparations, with Andrea and Kris completing their build-up in the South of France."
Coming off an intense training block, Wellington's Kate McIlroy is looking forward to testing herself in a race day situation.
"Training has been really solid in Sete and I have completed one of the biggest blocks for many years, and feel good. It will be great to race a sprint to help sharpen up. The race will be very fast, the bike is very technical, and the run will be lightning quick straight out of transition. The atmosphere is always amazing in Hamburg with the swim course and streets lined with locals. This will definitely add a buzz to the air," McIlroy said.
"For me it will be a race with certain goals; having a solid race and gaining confidence as I look forward to August 4th, but more importantly it is to fine tune certain race aspects that cannot be replicated in training.
"Ryan Sissons has been training extremely hard and is good form going into Hamburg. The 23-year-old has had several notable results on the ITU circuit this season, finishing second at the Huatulco World Cup and most recently sixth at the San Diego World Triathlon Series race.
"My training and London build-up has been great. I believe I'm in the best shape I have ever been in and I know with a few more weeks to tweak the minor details I will be as ready as ever come the 7th of August. I have been fortunate enough to have some great guidance from both my coaches Andrew Nicholls and Chris Pilone which I know has made a huge difference.
"This weekend in Hamburg I am looking to race well and figure out what else I can do in the next two weeks to be better in London. I'm really looking forward to Saturday's race, I love to train but I love to race more!"
Nicky Samuels has also found form at the right time, having raced impressively at the Kitzbuhel round of the World Triathlon Series last month where she finished sixth.
With the excitement of the Olympic Games becoming electric Samuels is treating Hamburg as a crucial training session while trying to avoid any misfortune.
"I am excited about racing the Hamburg World Series race for one last hit out before London. It will be a good chance to try everything out and play out the motions before the big race. I am looking to getting a good solid, hard training session out of Hamburg," she said.
"At the same time I am strongly hoping that the weather and road conditions will be ok as it would be a terrible time for any bike accidents (as can happen in these races) pre London."
Bevan Docherty is travelling to Hamburg from his home in Santa Cruz, California and will remain in Europe until after the Olympic event while Kris Gemmell wings his way to this weekend's race after spending his last few weeks training in Boulder, Colorado.
The entire centre of Hamburg will shut down this weekend as athletes dive 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.
ITU World Triathlon Championship: Hamburg, Germany
Sprint (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run)
Elite Men
Sunday 22nd July 4.25am NZT
Live coverage on SKYSPORT 2
Elite Women
Monday 23rd July 2.00am NZT
Delayed coverage on SKYSPORT 3
