The PTO’s third Tour event is set to take place for the first time in Irving, Texas, this weekend, on 17-18 September.
The pro men and women will be racing on separate days in Irving’s Levy Event Plaza, which sits on the edge of Lake Carolyn, a 125-acre man-made lake at the centre of the city’s Las Colinas Urban Center.
Here’s how to watch the world’s best triathletes battle it out for a share of the $1m prize purse…
Who’s racing the PTO US Open in Texas?
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The full PTO US Open men’s line-up includes Alistair Brownlee (GBR), who will be hoping to have a better showing than in Edmonton where stomach issues saw him finish down in 24th.
Joining him on the start line will be recent Challenge Roth victor Magnus Ditlev (DEN). In only his second-ever long-distance race, the young Dane, 24, clocked a winning time of 7:35:48, and just missed out on Jan Frodeno’s 2016 course record by an agonising nine seconds.
Lionel Sanders (CAN), Sam Long (USA) and Daniel Baekkegard (DEN), who was a member of the victorious Team Europe in August’s Collins Cup, will also be vying for podium places.
On the women’s side, unsurprisingly, there’s a strong home showing, led by Taylor Knibb and supported by Jackie Hering, Jocelyn McCauley, Sophie Watts, Danielle Lewis and Lesley Smith.
But they’re going to have a tough day against a stellar line-up of international stars, which includes, at the top of the roster, Dame Flora Duffy. Just as a reminder, and simply because we love typing it all out, Duffy’s the reigning Olympic, World Triathlon, Xterra and Commonwealth champion.
Hoping to spoil Duffy’s day are PTO Canadian Open winner Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), runner-up Paula Finlay (CAN), Team Europe Collins Cup winners Kat Matthews and Holly Lawrence (GBR), plus the resurgent Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR), who recently won the World Triathlon Long Distance Champs.
The PTO US Open course
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The pro course follows a 100km format, broken down as a 2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run.
The pros start with a two-lap swim in Lake Carolyn. At the end of the first 1km lap, there’s an Australian exit, giving fans the chance to see the athletes run across the lakeside before diving back in the for the final lap. Once out the water, they’ll head into T1 to grab their bikes.
They then take on a seven-lap course giving spectators – whether out on the course or around the grandstand near transition – the opportunity to see the athletes multiple times, ramping up the excitement before the deciding run.
The bike course features around 75m of elevation per lap (so 525m in total) and the gradient never tips above 3%, making it a gradual rise to the turnaround point before a fast run-in back to transition.
With only one turnaround at the top of the course, the bike leg will be far less technical than the PTO Canadian Open, potentially giving different athletes the opportunity to shine.
Once off the bike and through T2, it’s on to the 18km run. The run features five 3.6km laps including an out-and-back section at the top of the course so athletes can gauge the gaps to their competitors.
It’s expected to be seriously hot, 30-35°C, which could take its toll on several athletes.
When is the PTO US Open Texas?
Aside from the many age-group events taking place throughout the weekend, the men and women’s elite races are due to take place on different days. Here’s when you can catch the action wherever you are in the world:
Saturday 17 September: Elite women’s start
11:30 CDT (local time)
09:30 PDT
12:30 EDT
16:30 UTC
17:30 BST (UK)
18:30 CET
Sunday 18 September: Elite men’s start
14:30 CDT (local time)
12:30 PDT
15:30 EDT
19:30 UTC
20:30 BST (UK)
21:30 CET
How to watch the PTO US Open Texas
Watch the PTO US Open live from the comfort of your home via the official broadcast channels. Those following along in Europe or the Indian Subcontinent can watch on Eurosport, Discovery+, and GTN+ , while the rest of the world can watch via the PTO+ app either online or on your phone.
Top image credit: PTO