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In the women’s, Lise Lavoll Borgen, also from Norway, took victory finishing in a time of  12: 52:00. She took the lead from the eventual second placed athlete Julia Nikolopoulos shortly after the bike climb to Gotthardpass and further extended her position by 19 minutes on the run. Nikolopoulos from Germany and Nicole Hofer from Switzerland placed second and third respectively.

This tough long-distance triathlon includes an180k bike leg that goes over three mountain passes to Brienz, while the marathon run heads to the majestic Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau peaks. 

Check out our guide to the world’s ultimate mountain triathlons in the August issue, out on 19 July 

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Despite extreme weather conditions and thunderstorms forcing the organisers to change the swim to a 4km run the competitors were out in force for the fourth edition of the Swissman, a long-distance triathlon set in the Swiss Alps

In the men’s race 30 year-old Allan Hovda from Norway took victory in a time of 10:55:00. The second and third placed athletes, Andreas Wolpert from Germany and Sebastian Bräuer from Switzerland, climbed into Kleine Scheidegg with only 2 minutes separating them, 33 and 35 minutes respectively behind the winner.

While in the women’s victor Lise Lavoll Borgen, also from Norway, crossed the line in a time of f 12:52:00. She took the lead from the eventual second placed athlete Julia Nikolopoulos shortly after the bike climb to Gotthardpass and further extended her position by 19 minutes on the run. Nikolopoulos from Germany and Nicole Hofer from Switzerland placed second and third respectively.

The 180km bike leg from Ascona to Brienz takes in three mountain passes, climbing to an altitude of over 2,000 metres, while the run leg heads to Kleine Scheidegg, via the majestic Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau Alpine peaks 

Don’t miss our guide to the world’s ultimate mountain triathlons in the August issue, out on 19 July

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Find out more about  José Luis Hourcade at his website www.joseluishourcade.com

There are several firsts for Shimano here, including the option to add in an integrated crank-based power meter and/or hydraulic disc-braking. The all new synchronised shifting technology, which seeks the next highest/lowest gear from the touch of one button on the right lever without having to change ring, could be of particular benefit to triathletes on race-day looking for even quicker and smoother shifting. Perhaps lesser news for triathletes but more important for roadies is that the groupset can be purchased with hydraulic disc brakes. The new Dura-Ace rotor is said to improve heat dissipation, and features flat-mount calipers.

Add Power

Shimano are promising a high degree of accuracy in the integrated power meter: “Riders can expect extremely accurate real-time power data to track and analyse your performance. Not only can the pure output of watts be measured, left and right legs can be measured separately, as well as cadence, giving you the truest measure of performance, isolated from external factors such as gradient, road surface and wind.” 

Not only this, but the power meter is totally waterproof and wireless, for easy linking to your GPS computer and Shimano’s own E-Tube wireless software.  

Crankset

A new crankset design improves rigidity and power transfer from the rider through the pedal to the drivetrain, whilst it’s still 7g lighter than the previous Dura-Ace crankset. Five variations on the crankset are available: 50-34T, 52-36T, 53-39T, 54-42T and 55-42T with seven crank arm lengths ranging from 165 to 180mm.

Our sister title Bike Radar gets an exclusive first look at the new Dura-Ace R9100 mechanical groupset – Shimano say the electronic version is not quite ready to ride yet

Synchronised shifting

The Synchronised Shift derailleur technology could be great news for triathletes, as it allows the rider to control both derailleurs with the touch of just one shift button, simplifying gear choice and reducing the need for decision-making over which ring is most appropriate in racing situations. This means riders are able to choose the next biggest or lowest gear ratio irrespective of whether a gear change needs to be made by the front or rear derailleur. It can also be used in ‘Semi-synchronised shift mode’, which keeps the use of the left shift button, but instead of simply moving to the corresponding gear on the big ring when you shift up, moves to the next most appropriate rear gear. Both methods will stop the rider from using extreme chain angles, which can only be a good thing for efficiency and the maintenance of your components. 

Both the mechanical or electronic gear shifters and derailleurs can be combined with hydraulic or mechanical brake levers, and more good news for triathletes… they can be set up with both drop bars and tri rigs. 

The groupsets will be available in early 2017, and UK prices are yet to be announced. 

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Take a peak at our sister title Bike Radar’s first look video above, and check our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates on when we’ll be getting our hands on the new groupset ourselves!

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In the men’s the Brownlee brothers will aiming for a repeat performance of WTS Leeds where they took first and second. Hoping to prevent this will be Spaniard Fernando Alarza, who has scored a silver medal in Gold Coast and a win in Cape Town so far this season and is second in the WTS rankings behind Mario Mola, who won’t be in Stockholm. However Alarza will have to stay with the Brownlees in the swim to have any chance of winning as they have proven ability over Stockholm’s cobbled streets and have triumphed here in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Sadly last year’s winner in Stockholm Javier Gomez will be unable to defend his crown due to illness. 

Men’s Start List

While in the women’s six of the top 10 women in the WTS rankings will race on Saturday, including WTS current leader  Flora Duffy from Bermuda.  Will Duffy be able to make a break for it on the bike leg to put others under pressure on the run, like she did at WTS Leeds, and get a third podium finish?

 However the on-form British triathletes Jodie Stimpson, Helen Jenkins, Vicky Holland and Non Stanford will be hard to beat. Stanford won WTS Cape Town , while Jenkins will be hoping for a repeat of WTS Gold Coast, where her victory ended Jorgensen’s her run of victories. Stimpson opened up the WTS season by winning in Abu Dhabi, followed by a silver medal in Cape Town, and sits second overall in the Columbia Threadneedle rankings. Her results mean she has a good chance of being named World Champion in Cozumel later this year if she pulls out another strong performance this Saturday in Stockholm.

Andrea Hewitt (NZL), always a force to be reckoned with as well, and kicked off her season with a bronze in Gold Coast. Stronger in the back half of the season, Hewitt has scored bronze and silver in Stockholm the last two years. Although a consistent feature to the WTS podium, Hewitt hasn’t won a WTS race since 2011, but that could all change on Saturday.

However looking to upset the race will be USA’s Sarah True, who returns as the reigning back-to-back champion after she claimed the WTS Stockholm titles in 2014 and 2015. 

Women’s Start List

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The women will get the 2016 Vattenfell World Triathlon Stockholm underway at 15:00 on Saturday July 2, while the men will follow at 17:45 (British time). You can watch all of the action live at triathlonlive.tv or the BBC red button. You can also follow us on Twitter @220Triathlon. Highlights will be shown on BBC 2 at 15:15pm 

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Duffy would have hoped to have had some of the other good cyclists with her like GB’s Helen Jenkins but a bad swim for Jenkins where she exited about 40 seconds behind Flora, meant she had to race solo.

A very good technical cyclist she made the most of the technical parts of the bike course to extended the lead to a minute before the two chase groups united and started to rein her in, thanks in no part from a staggering performance from the USA triathlete 18 year old Taylor Knibb and Helen Jenkins. 

Duffy came out of T2 with a 25 seconds lead that she refused to give up on despite her tired legs. About about half-way through the run Helen Jenkins and Andrea Hewitt made a break from the chase group and extended their lead over the second chase group to 35 seconds but there was no danger of catching the Bermudan out in front. It was then a uphill sprint finish for Hewitt and Jenkins for silver and bronze with Hewitt just having the better and fresher legs. Vicky Holland finished about 37 seconds behind Jenkins in 4th. Non Stanford and Jodie Stimpson pulled out.

“I have been trying and trying to win one of these and today when I was out there on the front of the bike I had no idea how it was going to play out,” said Duffy. “But I got off and felt strong on the run and just ran as best as I could. But obviously it is a bit scary with Helen and Andrea chasing me.”

“I managed to ride a bit more controlled today, I have learned from Leeds. It is so much more technical here and that is my strength, so I just tried to gain as much time as I could in the technical sections and then ride smooth for any straightaways. It was just how it worked out to ride solo. I came out of the swim with a few girls and I was hoping they would come up behind on my wheel but they didn’t and then I was in no-mans land, so there was times where I was questioning what I was doing out there, but I just stuck to my plan and it worked out today.”

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“I am really happy to get on the podium today. I made life hard for myself, I had a terrible swim, but I felt good on the bike and on the run I just kind of hung in there, but I am really to come away with a podium,” said Jenkins. “Flora is so strong at the moment. I am actually really happy for her to get the win, I mean obviously I would like to, but she deserves it the way she raced today.”

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The race will be contained to the college’s campus, with a two-lap sea swim starting from their slipway, while the four-lap bike leg will take in all of the 166 acres of the campus, including prime woodlands, open spaces and costal fields.

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The bike trail has been designed by Dafydd Davis, who is a MTB Hall of Famer, with the international off-road series returning to Wales for the first time since 2008 (Vachery in Surrey, pictured, had been the recent host of Xterra UK).

The trail run will be a brutal three lap course that takes you up the steep steps through the formal gardens and through the castle, around the campus and through a small section of woods. Confirmed athletes competing so far include 2015 Xterra European Champion Lesley Paterson, Ben Allen and Jacqui Slack.

Xterra: 16 tips for race day from Ben Allen & Jacqui Slack

 All the proceeds from the event will go towards funding two student scholarships at Atlantic college, one for a youngster from Wales and the second for a Syrian refugee.

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 http://www.atlanticcollege.org/scholarships/

 Ryf entered Roth after being unable to finish Ironman Frankfurt due to health reasons.

 “After I unfortunately couldn’t finish the race in Frankfurt for reasons already known, we changed our plan. I’m really looking forward to being on the Roth start line and being able to experience the legendary atmosphere of this race!”



 For Challenge Roth organiser, Felix Walchshöfer, the last-minute entry from the world champion is most welcome. “I can’t put into words how happy I am to have both world champions at this legendary race. Daniela brings even more to our already strong women’s field. The eyes of the triathlon world will be on us as we celebrate triathlon and the 15th anniversary of Challenge Roth on 17 July, together with the best athletes in the world.”

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Are you heading to Roth? Check out  our Challenge Roth race tips

Related

Reigning Ironman world champions conquer in Dubai
Jan Frodeno’s 10 top tips for stepping up to iron distance

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On the bike she hung on to the top spot but fellow country woman Kimberley Morrison came close and they continued their bike ride shoulder to shoulder. Morrison made it to the transition first—but only three seconds ahead of chasing Swallow who had a faster transition and was first on the run course.

On the half marathon Swallow increased the gap and simply ran away toward the finish line. She took the victory in Jönköping in 04:19:19. Morrison stayed in second position for a while but was unable to keep the pace, she was overtaken by Swedish hope Asa Lundström who slowly but surely came closer from behind. Lundström finished took home a second place finish in 04:24:58, while Morrison rounded out the podium in third with a time of 04:25:20.

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The one-lap swim was held in the spectator friendly Lake Munksjön, the flat bike course lead through the beautiful villages and lakes around Jönköping. While the two and half loop run was held in the city centre with crowds of spectators cheering on an exciting race. 

Related

Jodie Swallow explains how to cope with the crowded open-water race starts

Top 5 Pro Men

1
Dreitz, Andreas
DEU
0:24:27
2:05:59
1:14:22
3:49:45

2
Van Lierde, Frederik
BEL
0:23:38
2:09:32
1:14:47
3:52:40

3
Cunnama, James
ZAF
0:23:41
2:09:02
1:15:54
3:53:01

4
Dirksmeier, Partrick
DEU
0:23:36
2:16:55
1:10:49
3:55:55

5
Seifert, Florian
DEU
0:24:23
2:09:11
1:18:08
3:56:13

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Top 5 Pro Women

1
Swallow, Jodie
GBR
0:24:18
2:24:59
1:24:56
4:19:19

2
Lundström, Åsa
SWE
0:29:57
2:22:33
1:27:25
4:24:58

3
Morrison, Kimberley
GBR
0:26:16
2:22:52
1:30:50
4:25:20

4
Bilham, Emma
CHE
0:26:12
2:33:27
1:21:35
4:26:21

5
Montgomery, Julia
SWE
0:33:27
2:32:10
1:33:54
4:45:14

The move, declared by Ironman CEO Andrew Messick in an email to all registered Ironman athletes, makes them the only Ironman 70.3 (1.9km swim/90km bike/21km run) triathlons in the world to provide standard age-group qualification slots for Ironman’s flagship 3.8km/180km/42.2km event, held in Hawaii since 1978.

Ironman 70.3 Hefei takes place in an iconic capital city in the eastern China Anhui Province. Hefei boasts a local culture and history that dates back more than 2,000 years. Well known both at home and abroad as a historic site famous for the Three Kingdoms Period, it’s also the hometown of Lord Bao.

Located between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River and beside the Chaohu Lake, the city boasts an impressive collection of botanical gardens, temples, and other historical sites to help make your visit truly memorable.

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At Ironman 70.3 Xiamen, located on the southeast coast of China, athletes will be treated to the picturesque Island Ring Road and coastal avenues on the mainland that reflect the seaside city. The city’s name means “Garden of the Sea,” and it is both a modern port city and a prestigious tourist destination.

How to qualify for Kona

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Our step-by-step pre-race, swim, bike and run guide is provided by 2015 finisher Janine Doggett (click here to visit Janine’s ‘Triathlove’ blog!) and you’ll find various useful titbits from other finishers, plus stats and a bike course profile too…

PRE-RACE

Lanzarote it isn’t, yet modest Bolton provides an incredible Ironman race. The locality and calm lake swim make it an ideal first-time choice, while the bike course will challenge the toughest of riders. We named Ironman UK 7th in our top 10 European iron-distance races suitable for first timers.

It’s a good idea to recce the course before, and Pennington Flash offers swimming every Saturday morning before the big day. On race day, getting to the start is easy, but leave time to find the nutrition and post-race bag drop area as this isn’t immediately obvious.

THE SWIM

The race kicks off at 6am with a two-lap swim and, despite the quiet nervousness of over 2,000 people in neoprene, the well-organised start pens help to calm you before setting off.

The Flash is a decent temp (19°C in 2015) and there’s plenty of space to find your rhythm, but the water can be choppy. The buoys are easy to spot and the Aussie exit between laps is great for mentally breaking down the swim.

Go to page two to continue reading our mega guide to Ironman UK 

THE BIKE

After a short run to T1, a two-lap course through beautiful Lancashire countryside awaits. With 1,641m of ascent, Sheep House Lane is a tough 3km star of the show. There’s a technical bit at the foot of the descent that can catch people out – it’s marked but stay on guard (and ideally on your bike!).

Some sections are spookily quiet, but there’s sensational sporadic support en route, with locals sporting some outrageous outfits! At the Macron Stadium and T2 (it’s a split transition) there’s no assistance in racking your bike so be ready to find your number. The T2 tent offers a slightly larger privacy screen than T1, so if you want fresh kit for the run you can strip off.

The Bolton Bike course – provided by Veloviewer

A graphic showing the route and elevation profile of the Ironman UK bike course. Click here to see the full breakdown on veloviewer.com

The Ironman UK 180km bike course starts with a 22km ride from Pennington Flash to Anderton, where the first of two bike laps begins. The route flows over Rivington Reservoir before the ‘fun’ starts with the Sheep House Lane climb at 30km, which rises to an elevation of 327m. From 35km there’s a long, mostly downhill section before a tricky ascent at High Moor at 78km before lap two starts at the 100km point. T2 is the Macron Stadium in Bolton.

Go to the last page to find out some invaluable Ironman UK run tips

THE RUN

There’s a 10km point-to-point route before the lapped 8km course, which makes it up to 42.2km. It’s mostly flat but the laps are mentally challenging and, as it’s in a built-up area, there aren’t many nice views. The aid stations every 4km offer bananas, sugary drinks and a bucket-load of cheers!

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Lucy Gossage, who stormed to victory in 2015, takes on the Bolton run course. Credit: Getty Images

Having visited it three times already, the finisher funnel will feel like an old inflatable friend by the time you reach it. Ironman UK finishes at 11pm before it’s packed up fast, as if it were all just a beautiful dream of lactic acid, Lycra and ecstatic tears!

Ironman UK stats and figures

Average water temp: 16-19°C
Bike elevation: 1,641m
Run elevation: 290m
2015 DNF rate: 8%
2015 median finish time: 13:44:21

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Ironman UK kicks off on Sunday July 17th 2016, more information can be found on the Ironman UK website. A big thanks goes to Janine, Veloviewer and all our other contributors for helping 220 put this guide together. Do you have some need-to-know tips of your own, or anything else to add? Let us know in the comments!