Earlier this week we reported that defending men’s champion Bradley Weiss (RSA) wouldn’t be in Maui, Hawaii this weekend to look for a third Xterra title, and another favorite, Sam Osborne, won’t be at the race, either, after failing to get a spot in New Zealand’s quarantine lottery. That doesn’t mean there won’t be a strong men’s field on hand this weekend, though, as four past world champions are set to compete.
“There are more unknowns this year than ever, since it has been two years since that last World Championship,” said one of those former champions, Josiah Middaugh, USA, who won in 2015. “That means some young racers have had time to develop and some racers have had time to slack off. There have been less head-to-head matchups so it is tough to know how strong guys are in each discipline. The Europeans have had several competitions and established somewhat of a pecking order, but it is still hard to know how they match up against the rest of the field. Then you throw a couple Olympians into the mix and four past world champions and it gets really exciting.”
You’ll also see a few names on the list we’re more familiar with on the roads – American Eric Lagerstrom is making his Xterra World Championship debut and Olympic bronze medalist Hayden Wilde (NZL) is returning to his off-road roots.
Here’s a list of the pro men racing on Sunday:
*Bib # – Name NAT
2 – Arthur Serrieres FRA
3 – Ruben Ruzafa ESP
5 – Josiah Middaugh USA
6 – Karel Dusek CZE
7 – Maxim Chane FRA
8 – Xavier Dafflon SUI
9 – Geert Lauryssen BEL
10 – Rom Akerson CRC
11 – Branden Rakita USA
12 – Taylor Charlton AUS
14 – Andy Lee GBR
15 – Samuel Jud SUI
16 – Florian Bogge GER
17 – Sebastien Carabin BEL
18 – Brice Daubord FRA
19 – Austin Hindman USA
20 – Eric Lagerstrom USA
21 – Mauricio Mendez MEX
22 – Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen DEN
23 – Keller Norland USA
24 – Edward Oingerang GUM
25 – Irving Perez MEX
27 – Seth Rider USA
28 – Hans Ryham USA
29 – Francisco Serrano MEX
30 – Drew Shellenberger USA
31 – Darr Smith USA
33 – Jimmy Sosinski USA
34 – Brian Summers USA
35 – Hayden Wilde NZL
All eyes on Flora Duffy
The Olympic gold medalist is in Maui looking for a sixth Xterra world title to go along with the World Triathlon Championship Series title she claimed after Tokyo. While the women’s field is only 13 strong, it does promise to be competitive, especially with a strong group of Europeans who have enjoyed a busy and competitive summer of racing.
Here’s the pro women’s field:
*Bib# – Name NAT
51 – Flora Duffy BER
52 – Suzie Snyder USA
53 – Alizee Paties FRA
55 – Carina Wasle AUT
56 – Amanda Felder USA
57 – Katie Button CAN
61 – Loanne Duvoisin SUI
62 – Michelle Flipo MEX
64 – Melanie McQuaid CAN
65 – Irena Ossola USA
66 – Eleonora Peroncini ITA
67 – Chelsea Raymond CAN
68 – Brandi Swicegood USA
Live timing for Sunday’s race can be found here.
