Edinburgh is set to be host City for the ETU Duathlon European Championships on the 16th June 2007. The Course around Holyrood Park is not only one of the most scenic on the circuit, but also one of the most challenging! It is the aim of the Local Organising Committee, the European Triathlon Union, the British Triathlon Federation and Triathlon Scotland to ensure that all athletes, spectators & officials have a memorable time in Scotland, before, during & after the event!

Prior to the Duathlon Championships a ‘Festival of Sport’ will be held which will include a 5km run race, a Cycle race & an ‘open water swim’ which will be open to all and a a Citizens Wave Triathlon. The Duathlon Age-group Championships will be mass start races for all age-groups athletes and will have a non-drafting cycle section. The Elite Championships will also be a mass start event after the age-group race but the cycle section of the Elite race will be draft-legal. Both the Age-group and Elite events will take place on closed roads in and around Holyrood Park

In the women’s field the 4th finisher on the Duathlon World Championships - held a month ago - Alexandra Louison from France is the one to watch. She will not have an easy race since athletes like Laura Giordano of Italy, Inmaculada Pereiro of Spain and of course the local favorite Catriona Morrison is in the field. The challanging bike course will probably set the podium in a way that the most fresh runner for the final 5km run will find herself on the top of the podium.

In the men’s field the Portugese tandem of Lino Barruncho and the 2006 U23 European Champion Sergio Silva will set the speed on the run-bike-run event. Javier Garcia, the experienced Spanish athlete is also travelling to Scotland to finish on the top. The French team will be represented with a strong big team including Stephane Valenti,  Laurent Galinier, Damien Derobert and Benjamin Grenetier. Who will be in the best form of them, difficult to tell, but for sure they will be there for the final battle. The best known of all top favourite is still Benny Vansteelant representing Belgium. Benny did not have a good race in Gyor but for sure the hilly and technical bike course in Edinburgh will give him the chance again.

All of this excitement on Saturday. Stay tuned on www.etu-triathlon.org and click here for up-to-date athlete start lists and race information.