Cyclry

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XTERRA Short Track Germany Preview

Photo: Carel du Plessis / XTERRA

XTERRA returns to Zittau, Germany for the 20th time with an action-packed weekend of Short Track and full distance off-road triathlon racing this Friday and Saturday, August 19-20.

📺 Watch it on Cyclry 📺
Live coverage starts Friday, August 19 at 3:20 pm CEST

As the name suggests, Friday’s XTERRA Short Track race is a fast, multi-lap, made-for-TV event combining two 200-meter swim laps with an exit in-between, four 1.5km mountain bike laps complete with jumps and berms, and two 1.3km run loops. Winning times are in the 30-40 minute range.

While the Short Track showcase is an invite-only event for the top 25 ranked elite men and women (with a few wildcards), more than 60 professionals from 20 countries will line-up on Saturday for the XTERRA Germany Championship race over the traditional full distance course that combines a 1.5km swim, 37km single loop mountain bike course, and 10km trail run.

XTERRA Germany is one of the biggest events of the year, with the entire town of Zittau supporting the extravaganza in a big way on both sides of the tape.

It’s the 13th time XTERRA has raced around Olbersdorfer Lake on the edge of Zittau, a historic town near the Polish and Czech borders, where hundreds of fans line the flat and fast course, using the landscape sculpted by the remnants of the old mining venue to gain a vantage point to see the entire course.

Reigning World Cross Triathlon Champions Arthur Serrieres (FRA) and Sandra Mairhofer (ITA) headline the men’s and women’s races, which have attracted the best off-roaders from around the world in a chase for fame, glory, and their share of 20,000 Euros in prize money.