XTERRA England Open for Business

The XTERRA England off-road triathlon, to be held in Surrey on September 8, 2013, is now taking registrations.

XTERRA England is the last of eight majors on the European Tour and offers up 40 qualifying spots to age group competitors interesting in racing at XTERRA Worlds in Maui on Oct. 27.

The event combines a 1.5km swim, 30km mountain bike, and 10km trail run.  The swim will be held in Vachery Pond, one of Surrey’s best kept secrets.  It’s a 12th century private spring fed lake almost 900-meters long and covering over 50 acres.

The bike course - designed by XTERRA Pro and Surrey legend Sam Gardner (former winner of XTERRA Guam, Saipan, and Philippine Championship races) features two loops through woodland single-track, country trails and fast open off-road paths within the Vachery Estate.

“Sam has designed a route that encourages racing; he was determined to make sure his course design wasn’t a test of a racer’s hard-core mountain bike technical riding skills or insanity, with huge jumps and scary drop-offs. After all, it is a triathlon,” said race organizer Mark Davis.

The run features two 5K loops on tracks, trails and paths including The Downs Link - a disused railway line forming part of the 37 miles (59km) long-distance path linking St Martha’s Hill, near Guildford, to near Shoreham on the south coast.

To watch a video from the test event in Surrey and to sign-up visit http://xterra-england.co.uk/