The rollercoaster ride that has been the first half of the 2019 WTS season continues its journey around the globe this weekend with the fifth stop of the year: the Groupe Copley World Triathlon Montreal.
This year sees a brand new sprint-distance Elite course on Montreal Island, the athletes emerging from Lawrence River and out onto a highly technical and tight city-centre ride before the 4-lap run reaches its finale back amongst the quayside’s crowds.

Men’s Preview
Twelve months ago, this year’s race number one Henri Schoeman delivered another of his signature pack-leading swims to exit the water almost half a minute ahead of eventual winner Mario Mola (ESP), and both athletes will again do battle as key ingredients of another WTS men’s start list packed with potential champions.
Silver in Yokohama and fourth place in Leeds earlier in the month showed Schoeman was back to some of the best form of his career. The current Series no.2 sits behind only Vincent Luis in the season’s half-way standings, but with the Frenchman absent in Canada, a new Series leader is likely by the end of the weekend.
Mola is one of three hugely experienced Spaniards among the first ten names on the list with 176 WTS starts and 80 podiums between them. Fernando Alarza and Javier Gomez Noya have been displaying the kind of consistency so far in 2019 that before this season had been the defending champion’s hallmark and while neither has finished outside of the top 10 in a WTS race so far this term, both would love to record a first World Series win of the season in Montreal.
Having grabbed his first win on one of the toughest courses on the circuit at the start of June, Jacob Birtwhistle will have the self-belief to attack from the outset. The Australian has one of the most potent kicks around and knows if he is in touch out if T2 he can hoover up many of his rivals over the 5km run, just as he did over double that distance in Leeds.
Hungary’s Bence Bicsak has had a memorable first half of the year, scoring a first WTS podium in Yokohama following seventh place in Bermuda, and his lightning pace and skill on the bike, exactly where the new-look race could be won and lost, is likely to be matched by Jonas Schomburg. The German put in a brave early burst in Leeds over the 10km run before being swallowed up by the pack and will be keen to register another top 10 finish at the highest level.
Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt hasn’t been at his very best yet this year but finished second on the standard-distance course here 12 months ago. Home favourite Tyler Mislawchuk finished 8th last year and has racked up two World Cup golds in 2019 to give himself the winning habit.
Richard Murray revels in a sprint distance course and will continue his return to full fitness after an injury-delayed start to the season, while the likes of compatriot Wian Sullwald, Matthew Hauser (AUS) and Stefan Zachaus (LUX) have all put in strong World Cup performances in recent weeks they will want to translate on the WTS stage.

Race coverage begins from 16:30 local time on Saturday 29 June and you can once again follow all the action on TriathlonLIVE.tv and via the hashtag #WTSMontreal

Check out the start lists https://www.triathlon.org/events/start_list/2019_itu_world_triathlon_montreal/336986?mc_cid=ed4ef52a80&mc_eid=6139649918

Women’s Preview

Wearing the number one in Montreal will be the USA’s ever-consistent Katie Zaferes. Pipped to the title last year over the final few kilometres of the Gold Coast run course, three wins and a silver in four races have catapulted her to the top of the 2019 Series rankings with a 600-point lead over Jessica Learmonth.
The Brit has herself rediscovered some dependable form this year, three podium finishes and a sixth the level of performance that will see her in contention when the Lausanne Grand Final comes around, particularly if she can land that as-yet elusive WTS gold in Canada.
Earlier in the month it was Learmonth’s teammate Georgia Taylor Brown who landed her debut WTS win with an assured 10km run in Leeds. Some outstanding recent bike rides have marked the 25-year-old out as a major contender at the highest level, and over the shorter course’s demanding tight turns, last year’s bronze medallist in Montreal looks certain to be among those pushing for medals out of T2.
Joanna Brown finished just outside the medals here last year and would love to give the crowds a Canadian to cheer on the podium having scored a gutsy bronze in Bermuda. With no Taylor Spivey on the start list, Chelsea Burns, Kirsten Kasper and Tamara Gorman will complete the USA team, Kasper returning from injury for her first WTS outing of 2019.
Australia’s Ashleigh Gentle will want to bounce back to form after disappointment in Yokohama and missing out on Leeds, while Claire Michel of Belgium will be eyeing a place inside the top 20 for the first time this year. Rachel Klamer (NED) Vendula Frintova (CZE) and Alice Betto (ITA) will all be among the names vying for a strong podium push if they find themselves well placed heading out onto the 5km run.

Race coverage begins from 14:30 local time on Saturday 29 June and you can once again follow all the action on TriathlonLIVE.tv and via the hashtag #WTSMontreal

Check out the start lists https://www.triathlon.org/events/start_list/2019_itu_world_triathlon_montreal/336987?mc_cid=ed4ef52a80&mc_eid=6139649918

Paratriathlon’s Review

The 2019 Groupe Copley World Paratriathlon Series Montreal gets underway on Friday morning as the best in the world once again go head-to-head on a new-look course in Quebec Province’s largest city.
This year will see the athletes take to the Bassin Olympique for the 750m swim before transitioning out and onto five laps of the Gilles-Villeneuve race track, home of the F1 Grand Prix. The race concludes with one lap of the lake, giving the athletes an iconic setting on which to do battle for the first qualification points for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
PTWC
?The familiar faces of Netherlands’ Geert Schipper and Jetze Plat will lead the line in the men’s PTWC category, with Britain’s Joe Townsend and Giovanni Achenza of Italy looking to break the Dutch duo’s hegemony in recent times. The experienced Italian finished second in Yokohama and third in Milan this year, but will need something special to outdo his rivals. In the women’s race, Australia’s Emily Tapp and Lauren Parker will vie for the gold along with Japan’s Wakako Tsuchida, while Spain’s Eva Maria Pedrero will surely challenge after her gold in Milan back in April.
PTS2
Frenchman Jules Ribstein has a WPS gold under his belt already this year, while Maurits Morsink narrowly missed out on the podium in Italy. Allan Armstrong of the USA was the highest placed athlete from the last race in Yokohama of those on the start list, whie in the women’s race, four of the top five from Japan will go again in search of gold. Allysa Seely won, Fran Brown edging Liisa Lilja to the second spot, but it is the American who continues to be the one to beat.
PTS3
Russia’s Anna Plotnikova goes out in the women’s PTS3 and with no Victor Chebotarev on the start line, Daniel Molina (ESP) will be the favourite to take the tape in the men’s race and continue an unbeaten streak that goes back as far as May 2017, French champion Michael Herter and Nico Van Der Burgt the men tasked with trying to halt his charge.
PTS4
Kelly Elmlinger (USA) beat Japan’s Mami Tani to the gold in Yokohama and both will go up against Sally Pilbeam (AUS) – third in WPS Milan – and Hannah Moore (GBR) in the women’s PTS4. A ten-strong field in the men’s race will see Alexis Haninquant again the man to beat, with the last man to do so, Mikhail Kolmakov (RUS) and China’s Jiachao Wang among the names hoping to conquer the flying Frenchman in Montreal.
PTS5?
Canada’s own Stefan Daniel won in Yokohama in May and the current World Champion will need to be on top of his game with the likes of George Peasgood (GBR) and Martin Schulz (GER) ready to take advantage of any error. Peasgood’s compatriot Lauren Steadman makes her first WPS start of the year after winning Gold Coast gold last September, USA’s Grace Norman likely to once again be among the names challenging for the women’s PTS5 podium places. ??
PTVI?
In the visually impaired racing, Spain’s Susanna Rodriguez once more heads to the start line with gold on her mind, the current World Champion and winner in Yokohama was edged into second place in Milan by Alison Peasgood, and the Brit will be ready for another dramatic battle with her rival, Canada’s Jessica Tuomela equally eager to give the crowds plenty to cheer. Dave Ellis (GBR) will face a confident Jose Luis Serrano (ESP) after his victory in Yokohama, Jonathan Goerlach also part of a talented, seven-deep start list.

Check out the start lists https://www.triathlon.org/events/start_lists/2019_montreal_itu_world_paratriathlon_series?mc_cid=ed4ef52a80&mc_eid=6139649918

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