Alcobendas ready for the Duathlon European Championship

The European City of Sport 2015 dresses up to receive this weekend the Duathlon European Championship.

Two days in which more than 930 will participate duathletes arrived from 16 countries, entering Alcobendas divided between elite, Sub23, junior, paratriathlon and Age Groups.

The 25 Saturday of April will start with the competitions junior, first with the boys to the 10: 30, followed five minutes later with the start in the female category. A very arduous and technical route awaits everyone, starting with two laps of 2,5 km each one of the race on foot. Then a cyclist segment of 20 km crossing the streets of Alcobendas, integrated by some very technical turns and to finish with 2,5 km of race.

The Spanish junior Claudia Luna highlighted the hardness of the circuits, at the same time she said she felt "very excited to run here in Spain ..." for a circuit in which she believes that the cycling tour will benefit her, very similar due to her continuous ups and downs to the crowned champion absolute national in Soria recently.

At noon it will be the turn for the categories of paratriathlon in PT1, PT2, PT3, PT4 and PT5, which will go through a first sector consisting of four laps of 1, 2 km, continuing with 20 km cyclists that will pass through the vicinity of Alcobendas. Finally, the remaining 2, 5 km of the walking race circuit.

The local paratriathlete José Luis García Serrano of the AD Ecosport Triathlon, affirmed at a press conference to be "happy to compete in a European Championship and even happier to compete at home ... we play at home".

After them, women will enter into action in the women's event with one of the favorites, the French Sandra Levenez and current champion of the World, believes that the course will be very arduous. A first segment of four laps of 2,5 km of running is waiting for them, eight laps of 5 km of cyclists and to finish 5 km of running race.

One of the great figures to follow, Emilio Martín "Expectations are maximum, I come in a good shape and I hope to be as far forward as possible". The Huelva duathlet believes that the characteristics of the circuit benefit him. Next to him, one of his great adversaries will be the Frenchman Benoit Nicolas (world champion of the specialty in Pontevedra 2014), highlighted the technical difficulty of the circuits, noting that there are several duathletes who will emerge as great rivals to beat.

Sunday will be reserved for Age groups, that in the course of the morning they will compete both in sprint distance (5 km - 18,8 km - 2,5 km) and in short distance (10 km - 37,6 km - 5 km). More than 800 duatlets that will fill the streets of Alcobendas with emotion and color.

As a culmination to this European duathlon festival, the athletes will come together to represent their countries in the dispute of one of the most exciting competitions with the mixed relay in distance supersprint, both in elite and junior category.

A test in which in the past Duathlon World Championship held in Pontevedra in 2014, Spain reaped great results: obtaining the bronze medal in the elite category and proclaiming itself champion in the junior competition.