London, UK: Max Neumann has said he’s targeting a return to racing at the London T100 event on 27-28 July, the fourth race of the new T100 Triathlon World Tour.
After his landmark win in Ibiza last year at the PTO European Open, where he upstaged three Olympic champions [Blummefelt, Brownlee and Frodeno] and the rest of the men’s elite, the Australian has been a notable absentee on the professional circuit over the last year and triathlon fans have missed his straight talking and ‘no bullshit science’ approach.
Talking from a training camp in Europe earlier today, an upbeat Neumann said: “I’ve been injured, which has affected my racing plans. But what it has given me is an opportunity to fine-tune aspects of my training and I’m convinced I’ll come back stronger. I’m targeting a return at the London T100 event.”
In doing so, Max is the first contracted athlete to invoke the T100 Injury Clause, which allows an injured athlete to miss two of their contracted six T100 races in a season by ‘working with the PTO on alternative marketing activations to promote the Tour without impacting the athlete’s compensation’ – as long as that athlete prioritises the T100 Tour in their return to racing. The fine print here stipulating that: ‘racing in another event within 15-days either side of a PTO Tour Event and NOT racing in the Tour Event, will count as a missed Event Obligation, unless otherwise approved by the PTO’.
“In the meantime, I want to play my part in the series,” continued Neumann. “I believe in the T100 and think it will have a game changing impact for the sport. Winning the PTO’s Ibiza event was an important moment for me and whilst it’s been disappointing not to have been able to kick on from that, these are the type of races I want to compete in and which will take our sport forward.”
The San Francisco T100 is the next race in the T100 series on Saturday 8 June, with the London T100 following on 27-28 July. Dutch wildcard Youri Keulen leads the men’s T100 standings from the new PTO World #1 American Sam Long. Great Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay leads the T100 standings for the women, ahead of Australian Ashleigh Gentle.
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For further information:
Anthony Scammell: [email protected]
About Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO)
The PTO is a sports body that is co-owned by its professional athletes, seeking to elevate and grow the sport of triathlon and take it to the next level. The T100 Triathlon World Tour is the new name for the PTO Tour and has been designated by World Triathlon as the ‘official World Championship for long distance triathlon’. It is a season-long schedule of eight T100 races during 2024 that will be competed over 100km (2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run) and will feature the world’s best triathletes going head-to-head in Miami (9 March), Singapore (13-14 April), San Francisco (8-9 June), London (27-28 July), Ibiza (28-29 September), Lake Las Vegas (19-20 October), Dubai (16-17 November) and at the Grand Final (29-30 November). There will also be racing opportunities for amateurs at all the events, including the new 100km distance at six stages, including: Singapore, London, Ibiza, Lake Las Vegas, Dubai and at the Grand Final. The global broadcast shows the races live around the world in 195+ territories, courtesy of the PTO’s partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery as well as a range of other international, regional and local broadcasters.