Cape Town Preview: ITU World Triathlon Series debuts in Africa

In the highly anticipated debut of Africa on the World Triathlon Series calendar, the men's and women's races again spotlight impressive fields for the two-lap 1500m V&A Waterfront swim, which will be followed by an eight-lap bike with constant ocean views and a four-lap 10km run in Cape Town. The women's race will be headlined by the top ranked Jodie Stimpson (GBR), while the men's race sees another battle between Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) and current men's leader Javier Gomez (ESP).   

Click here for the women's preview
Click here for the men's preview
 
ABOUT THE RACE: 
The Cape Town event marks the first time ever a World Triathlon Series event will be held on the continent of Africa. Race organisers have proposed a two-lap 1500m swim within the V&A Waterfront, followed by a scenic eight-lap 40km bike ride along Beach Road and a four-lap 10km run with constant ocean views for the elites. The weekend of events will also include races for mass participation events. Age groupers will have the option to choose between a standard Olympic distance courses or hone their speed skills on a sprint course. Standard and sprint distance team relays are also on the schedule, offering a race for all abilities. In addition to the competitions, athletes will be treated to a weekend full of festivities; including sundown concerts, a race exhibition, kids & family races. 

SCHEDULE:
Elite Women
Saturday 26 April - 15:00pm UTC/GMT +1 Click here for the time in your area
Elite Men
Sunday 27 April - 15:00pm UTC/GMT+1 Click here for the time in your area 

WEBSITES:
capetown.triathlon.org
 
START LISTS:
Click here for the women's start list
Click here for the men's start list

PRIZE MONEY:
$150,000 USD (equal for men & women) 
 
LIVE COVERAGE:
Follow all the events live with timing and text updates, at triathlon.org/live and on twitter at @triathlonlive. Below is a media login to watch the races for media use only.

COURSE PROFILE:
Swim (1.5km) - Athletes will complete two laps in the V&A Waterfront off of Quay 6.
Bike (40km) - Competitors are in for a scenic eight-lap bike course along the coast on Beach road. They'll loop back and meander around Cape Town stadium before hitting T.
Run (10km) - The run will consist of four run loops around Cape Town Stadium with a finish along Granger Bay Blvd at The Lookout.
 
STORIES TO WATCH FOR: 
Home field advantage
Richard Murray is the hot favourite amongst the South African team as the only African to have won a WTS race. However up and comer Henri Schoeman is coming off a win at the African Championships, in which he demolished Murray with a solid swim, as well as a strong performance in Auckland where he rode with the best of the best. The pair will be joined by Wian Sullwald, who is the only South African to have collected an ITU World Championship, which he did in the men's junior race in 2012. Olympians Kate Roberts and Gillian Sanders are South Africa's best bets in the women's race for making some noise on home soil. Mari Rabie, who collected South Africa's first medal at an ITU World Championships with her U23 bronze in 2008, will also line up on Saturday. Fresh from an Oxford education as a Rhodes scholar, the Beijing Olympian last competed on this stage in 2010.  

Leading ladies line up
For the second WTS race in a row, the women's start list explodes with talent. While Auckland favored strong bikers like Jodie Stimpson, Anne Haug and Helen Jenkins, the course this weekend doesn't offer those pack-breaking climbs meaning a change in race strategy might also mean a change in the Threadneedle leaderboard. Although Gwen Jorgensen got jammed up on the bike after an athlete crashed in Auckland, the American takes no prisoners when she's off the bike. Jorgensen will have to keep triple threats like Stimpson, Jenkins, and Emma Moffatt in sight if she wants to return to the top of the rankings, but those gals will need to have rear-view vision if they want to keep the blazing Jorgensen at bay. 

The Brownlee and Gomez rivalry continues
While the late withdrawal of Alistair Brownlee means that Cape Town won't add another chapter in the Brownlee brothers versus Gomez book, don't discount the battle between Jonathan Brownlee and Javier Gomez. In the past WTS five events they have competed against each other without Alistair on the start line the pair have finished 1-2. But who holds the upper hand? Well in races where Alistair hasn't been a factor, Jonathan won Stockholm in 2012, before Gomez claimed the Grand Final title in Auckland in 2012 with a killer sprint. In Yokohama and Madrid last year, Jonathan was on top, but Gomez re-claimed it in Auckland to start the 2014 season.  And then there was last year's Grand Final in London where Alistair also raced but was forced out of contention due to injury. In possibly one of the best contests between the two, Gomez held on in an another epic sprint to claim a history-making third ITU World Championship. One thing is for sure, if these two start a WTS race, it's more than likely they will fill the top two podium positions after it. All in all, Jonathan Brownlee and Javier Gomez have come up against each other 18 times in WTS races, for five wins apiece. But it seems like Gomez is the one to beat in Cape Town, with victories over Jonny in the past two events.