For their first Elite Sprint Triathlon Championships, the ETU has picked an absolute beaut of a location – the ‘Belle Isle’ in the city of Châteauroux, central France.
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Located only two hours by train from the centre of Paris, the city of Châteauroux has been a venue over the years for French Championship events and is well-known and much loved by French athletes. The area is surrounded by forests and situated on the Indre River – with plentiful lakes and fitness trails.
The location for the race is known as ‘Belle Isle’. The beautiful lake, covering some eight hectares and surrounded by a further 12 hectares of protected green areas, has its own safe beach for the start and exit from the 750m lake swim.
The four-lap 20km bike course is technical and will test the athletes, say the organisers. Each lap passes through transition and so crowds who stay by the lake will get a chance to see the athletes as they chase over the blue carpet. The run course uses part of the bike course and will be a fast and furious 5km.
“I am very pleased to see that the French Triathlon Federation has agreed to host the 2016 Elite Sprint Triathlon Championships in Châteauroux,” said ETU President Renato Bertrandi. “The test event in July is the weekend after Geneva and I hope that many athletes will take the opportunity to make the short journey to support Châteauroux.”
For more info on all the ETU’s triathlon championships head to etu.triathlon.org.