Search
shop

Making home advantage count: Team GB look to capitalise in Leeds

Mike Cavendish underlines the importance of upcoming WTCS event
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Mike Cavendish says the World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) race in Leeds will prove vital for Team GB’s Olympic preparations. 

Cavendish, who is British Triathlon’s Performance Director, outlined how his team can make the most of home advantage at the AJ Bell-sponsored event on June 11-12. 

The race in Leeds’ Roundhay Park is the first WTCS event of the qualifying window for Paris 2024 and will provide a particular focus for Team GB’s mixed relay preparations. 

Cavendish said: “Being at home is critical for a number of reasons, compared to being overseas. 

“We’re able to have more staff, we can test things without having to worry about the impact of travel and it’s nice to have full crowds cheering. 

Advertisement

Local knowledge

“We’ll have more staff on a course that we know in Roundhay Park, which is a massive advantage compared to travelling to a course that we don’t know or don’t know as well.  

“We’ve never had a relay in Leeds, but we can take away some of the unknown as we know the venue really well.” 

Mike Cavendish. Photo: Ben Lumley/British Triathlon

Team GB won relay gold at the Tokyo Olympics last year and defending that title remains a major focus. 

The Montreal WTCS race on June 25-26 will enable teams to qualify relay spots for Paris 2024, so coming just two weeks beforehand, the Leeds event will be something of a dress rehearsal. 

Cavendish said: “The relay element is the big one for us from a strategic perspective this year.  

“Montreal is the standout relay race of the year because we can qualify a team spot in Paris but having the opportunity to test and dry-run in the build-up to Montreal and over the next few years into Paris is hugely important.” 

Critical point

Cavendish added: “Having a home race is critical at this part of the Olympic cycle. 

“It’s the very start of the qualification period for the Games and it’s the first relay for us of the cycle, which is even more important than previously because of the switched order to go male-female-male-female. 

“We’re reigning Olympic gold medalists in relay, so we know we’re the hunted, plus, having the change in order, everything is new. To have relay on a home circuit and be able to test everything in an environment we know with the support around us gives a massive foot up in preparing over the three years to Paris.” 

Olympic Games Mixed Relay Triathlon Tokyo 2020
Great Britain’s golden quartet in Tokyo.

Cavendish also believes having a relay event in Leeds will continue to raise triathlon’s profile as a spectator sport. 

He said: “I remember coming back from Tokyo and, whilst we did really well in the individual races, all anyone wanted to talk about was the relay.  

“One thing I’ve learned in sport is that you’ve got to capitalise on that interest and that conversation, so to have a relay at what I think is the best organised and supported race on the World Triathlon Championship Series calendar is massive for us. 

“I don’t think you can overstate the importance of the weekend and how it’s got the potential to push on the exposure triathlon got in Tokyo to the next level.” 

The Leeds event will also see age-group and mass races, enabling all levels of triathlete to sample a world-class course. 

Cavendish said: “The events team have worked really hard to bring the pathway to Leeds as well. 

“We’ve got nearly every stage of the pathway represented in the weekend, so a young kid doing their first triathlon can do it at the same location and cross the same finish line as the Olympians who they can stay around and watch.  

“It’s one of the few places where you can genuinely do that in any sport and it’s all in the same place. 

“I don’t think we can underestimate the importance of home racing both from a performance perspective and from a pathway and exposure perspective.” 

The elite races will be broadcast on the BBC as part of its deal to show the WTCS in 2022. 

Written by
Ed Mezzetti
Discover more
TRI247 podcast p/b Challenge Family episode 2
Go behind the scenes at Challenge Roth with the latest episode of the TRI247 podcast
Cadomotus Chronos triathlon cycling shoes
The triathlon cycling shoe that promises a 10-watt saving: Cadomotus Chronos Aero triathlon cycling shoes review
Challenge Family Roth
Five things you need to know about the Challenge Roth bike course
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
latest News
Joe Skipper finished fifth at Challenge Roth 2023
Challenge Roth 2025: Triathlon star Joe Skipper comes back from the brink for another shot at iconic race
ironman hamburg 2025 podium laura philipp kat matthews solveig lovseth beer
Challenge Roth 2025: Laura Philipp backed to make triathlon history by crashing through magical time barrier
Challenge Roth press conference 2025
Challenge Roth 2025: Date, start times, how to watch live and who’s racing
Georgia Taylor Brown wins supertri Toulouse 2024
British Olympic legend Georgia Taylor-Brown to make triathlon return
Gwen Jorgensen reflective World Triathlon Cup Vina del Mer 2023
‘Unbreakable’ Gwen Jorgensen ‘bruised’ after bike crash but vows to bounce back
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...