SLT Arena Games Rotterdam Preview
This weekend will see the third edition of the Super League Triathlon Arena Games at the Zwemcentrum in Rotterdam, which will be hosting its second arena games after the pilot event here last year. Whilst an indoor triathlon event isn’t anything new, the arena games are the first of their kind to incorporate a virtual aspect to the racing, with athletes cycling and running on the online racing and training platform Zwift.
The athletes will participate in the ‘Triple Mix’ which is three races consisting of a 200m swim, 3km virtual ride and 1km virtual run. Points are awarded according to finishing positions in each race and the athletes are ranked on their combined scores from the three legs.
In 2020, German Justus Nieschlag took the win in the men’s race whilst Jess Learmonth of GB set the course record in the swim, bike and run to sweep the women’s event. In the most recent arena games in London three weeks ago Beth Potter of GB was the women’s winner whilst Marten Van Riel of Belgium returned to racing from injury in fine form to win the men’s race. Whilst neither of the defending champions from Rotterdam 2020 make it back this year, runners up Vasco Vilaca and Rachel Klamer will prove to be stiff competition to London’s winners, with Potter and Van Riel hoping to continue their winning streak in 2021.
Men’s Race
Marten Van Riel will be pushed to the wire on Sunday to take the win in Rotterdam against a high caliber field of young European talent. Marco van der Stel will be hoping he can make the home crowd proud, whilst Vasco Vilaca will certainly be looking forward to getting back on the podium with a good race after finishing fourth in London. Look out for all course records to be blown out of the water this weekend, with Great Britain’s Alex Yee surely backing himself to beat Javier Gomez’s run course record of 2.45 as he attempts to win his first Super League event. Other athletes to look out for are former world junior champion Aurelien Raphael and Jonas Schomburg, who is always an athlete to go all in from the gun.
The men’s race will be streamed live on the Super League TV and is also available to watch on BBC iPlayer at 2pm on Sunday.
Full Start List – Marten Van Riel, Alois Knabl, Jonas Schomburg, Vasco Vilaca, Aurelien Raphael, Anthony Pujades, Daniel Baekkegard, Alex Yee, Marco van der Stel, Felix Duchampt.
Women’s Race
A trio of Brits – Beth Potter, Sophie Coldwell and Kate Waugh will hope to race well this weekend against a women’s start list which features several good athletes including a contingent of Dutchwomen who will all be hoping to get on the podium on home turf. Whilst Rachel Klamer and Maya Kingma are by now established names on the WTS circuit, this weekend will be a huge race for local Rani Skrabanja, who steps up to the elite ranks after winning the invitational event at last year’s edition. This will be a great experience for the young Dutchwoman to make a name for herself on the SLT circuit, as many young athletes such as Vasco Vilaca and Simon Henseleit have done before her.
The women’s race will start at 1pm on Sunday, also streamed live on the Super League TV and is also available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Full Start List – Rachel Klamer, Beth Potter, Lisa Tertsch, Sophie Coldwell, Alice Betto, Maya Kingma, Ilaria Zane, Kate Waugh, Anna Godoy, Rani Skrabanja.
