Swim
The swim will consist of two counter-clockwise laps of 750m. As of Tuesday 22nd November, the water temperature was 31 degrees Celsius so wetsuits are not expected to be allowed.
The first thing that jumps out from the course layout is the importance of pontoon position. Athletes starting to the right of the pontoon will have a slight advantage over those starting on the left as the right will have a marginally shorter distance to swim to the first buoy (that may just be the first time I have used Pythagorean theorem in my adult life. Maths is everywhere here at TriStats).
To see what we mean regarding the swim, check the below graphic from the World Triathlon race briefing:
The lighter blue line starting from the right will travel a shorter distance than the darker blue line on the left (the hypotenuse).
The challenge for the swimmers that do start on the right will be to try to force the speed early on in the swim so that they reach the buoy first. If they can manage that, those that merge from the left will find themselves swimming into a wall of bodies and will have to fight their way around the buoy. The swimmers that start on the right will also have a gentler turn around the first buoy which will make it easier for them to hold their speed.
For a fast start in the swim, then, being on the right-hand side of the pontoon will present a significant advantage.
Bike
The swim exit will have a short run of 150m into the T1 before the athletes mount their bikes. They will then race over nine laps to complete the 40km bike leg.
Each bike lap contains several tight corners, including one particularly sharp dead turn early in the lap. There are technical elements to the bike course however it is not one of the trickier courses on the WTCS circuit to navigate.
In stark contrast to the last WTCS event in Bermuda, the course in Abu Dhabi will be almost entirely flat, with minimal elevation gains or losses. Whereas Taylor Knibb was able to solo her way around much of the bike in Bermuda and Flora Duffy and Maya Kingma were able to operate effectively as a duo, Abu Dhabi will likely demand the copperation of groups of at least five athletes for any break to stick. Those dead turns won’t favour a big pack, however the long, flat straights of the course will make it difficult for a break to hold off a committed chase pack.
Run
To finish off the race, the athletes will run four laps of 2.5km. What stands out about the run is the presence of two dead turns per lap. On an otherwise flat course, they seem to be the best places to steal a second over any rivals or to throw in a sudden burst to test surrounding athletes.
The real challenge on the run will likely be heat management. At practically any time of year, racing in the Middle East will present a challenge to energy conservation and, over the Olympic distance, athletes will have to moderate their efforts.
There is probably a low chance, then, that any of the big names strike out from the front immediately on the run. Rather, the favourites will probably bide their time as the course has few features that would reward any early attack.
See the full race map below, courtesy of the World Triathlon website.
Weather
Temperatures are forecasted to be in the high-20s (Celsius) and World Triathlon have taken additional measures for athletes should heat be an issue. These include shortening the ceremonies and allowing cooling vests up until the start of the race.
Both the men’s and women’s races will be in the early afternoon on Friday and Saturday, respectively, so they will bear the brunt of the heat. Being so close to the marina, there may be a chance for a breeze to help cool the athletes, although conditions looks fairly flat.
