Old does not do Samarkand justice. The city has been around for so long it was already centuries old by the time Alexander the Great captured it in 329 BCE, and it is in this ancient city that something new will take place this weekend as the Samarkand World Triathlon Cup returns for its second ever edition.
Taking place in the Silk Road Complex, a standard distance event will be on offer with a two-lap 1500m swim, six fast laps of 6.6km on the bike and four-and-a-half laps of 2.2km on the run. The course itself is among the milder side, but the heat will add an extra dimension with tough conditions forecasted. Be sure to catch all the action live on Saturday on TriathlonLive.
Number 1 under threat
Tayler Reid (NZL) wears number 1 and, as a multiple World Cup medallist, knows exactly what it will take to get onto the podium. Crucially, Reid will be able to take inspiration from last year’s race in which a breakaway saw Connor Bentley (GBR) win. While Bentley is not racing this time, his method of victory could be pertinent for the strong swim-biker Reid who memorably played a big role in the breakaway at the WTCS Final in Torremolinos.
However, he faces a challenge in overcoming the men wearing 2 and 3 in Samarkand. The former is Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger (FRA) who enters having won the Miyazaki World Cup at the end of 2024. In addition, he recently claimed the Supertri E world title with a memorable come-from-behind performance. As such, he will be confident of overhauling any breakaway Reid could form.
The latter is Reese Vannerson (USA). The World Junior Championships medallist arrives in Uzbekistan on the back of a win at the Chengdu World Cup less than a fortnight ago, a race at which he demonstrated that his running speed belongs in the upper echelons of the sport. Worryingly for the rest of the field, Chengdu was Vannerson’s debut over the standard distance, suggesting that he will only get better.
Danger men
Further down the start list, there are a number of men that will fancy their chances of making the podium. Hamish Reilly (GBR) and Baptiste Passemard (FRA) are World U23 Championships medallists and will look to make a similar step up to the one made by Bentley last year; Samarkand was the Brit’s first World Cup win.
Meanwhile, Kevin Tarek Viñuela Gonzalez (ESP) added the European Aquathlon crown to his world title in the discipline last week and so is clearly in form. Viñuela’s swimming speed will make him a potentially useful ally for any breakaway. At the same time, he medalled at the notoriously brutal Karlovy Vary World Cup last September and so could be a problem for the field at both ends of the race.
Mathis Beaulieu (CAN) and Maciej Bruzdziak (POL) also won World Cup medals last year and present contrasting challenges. Whereas Beaulieu is a fantastic runner, Bruzdziak is capable of blowing up a race on the bike as he did with Dylan McCullough (NZL) at the Tongyeong World Cup.
Finally, 2022 World Junior champion Thomas Hansmaennel (FRA) could be a dark horse. Just as Vannerson has made the step up to the senior ranks lately, so too has Hansmaennel. He won the Alanya Europe Cup at the end of 2024 and could be ready to push for honours at the World Cup level.