The stage is officially set and the path laid out for the next pair of champions to claim the title that lies waiting at the end of the toughest competition in off-road triathlon – the Xterra World Cup. Here's everything you need to know about the series and how to catch the action…
What is the Xterra World Cup?
The 2024 Xterra World Cup is a seven-stop, 11-race off-road triathlon series, awarding points to top performers in both full distance and short track races.
Only the top 30 athletes of either the full-distance race or the series leaderboard will determine who lines up to score additional points in the short track race.
100 points are awarded for a full-distance win and 75 for the made-for-TV short track format. Every race counts, with the name at the top of the leaderboard after stop #7 claiming the title of 2024 Xterra World Cup Champion.
It’s a rough ride, which is exactly what makes it so good, and it starts once again with a rude awakening on the single most demanding course the Xterra circuit has to offer – Taiwan, on 23 March.
What distances will athletes race in the 2024 Xterra World Cup?
The full-distance races cover a 1.5km swim, 29km off-road bike and 12km off-road run.
The short track events cover a 400m swim, 7.5km off-road bike and a 3km off-road run.
Which athletes will be racing the 2024 Xterra World Cup?
Arthur Serrières and Alizée Paties sit at the top of the pile as the reigning World Cup champions, but they’ll have their work cut out for them in 2024 as new rules will leave no room for a bad day between the tape.
Other names with an eye on the title include the formidable Felix Forissier who came within inches of becoming a two-time world champ in 2023, and Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen who became arguably the most exciting racer in the series after overtaking more athletes than any other pro racer.
Solenne Billouin is another, the winner of the 2023 world championship race in Trentino (the equivalent of the Grand Final in World Triathlon racing) will carry a dangerous amount of confidence after a dominant second half of the series.
But as Billouin will know, it’s not a single race that wins the World Cup – it’s consistency.
The T2024 Xterra World Cup schedule
- 23 March: Kenting, Taiwan (full distance)
- 27 April: Vouliagmeni, Greece (full distance)
- 18/19 May: Oak Mountain State Park, Pelham, Alabama, USA (full distance and short track)
- 8 June: Namur, Belgium (full distance)
- 12-14 July: Quebec, Canada (full distance and short track)
- 10-11 August: Prachatice, Czech Republic (full distance and short track)
- 26-28 September: Trentino, Italy (full distance and short track)
How to watch 2024 Xterra World Cup
XTERRA Live is the place to head for free, livestream coverage of select races, see below, throughout the series.
World Cup Livestream Races
March 23: Taiwan Full Distance
May 19: Oak Mountain Short Track
August 11: Czech Short Track
September 26: Trentino Short Track
September 28: Trentino Full Distance
Top image credit: Xterra