Countdown begins as full route details for Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds released

The countdown to the inaugural Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds has begun with the full route detail for the event being released today.

The much-anticipated event, which forms part of the prestigious International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Triathlon Series, will see the world’s finest triathletes and over 5,000 amateurs take to the streets of Leeds on the same course on the same day on Sunday 12 June.

Full route details of the elite and mass participation races, which still have final entries available in the sprint and beginner events, have been revealed today and can be found at http://leeds.triathlon.org. This includes an animation of the elite course, while an interactive route map will be able to be seen from 9am today at www.leeds.gov.uk/worldtrileeds.

The elite races are expected to feature homegrown stars Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee as well as Leeds-based duo Non Stanford and Vicky Holland, taking on their rivals from across the globe in the British athletes’ final event on home soil before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Starting with a 1500-metre swim in Roundhay Park’s Waterloo Lake, the world’s best male and female triathletes will then make the transition to their bikes and follow a 42.5-kilometre ride through Roundhay, Moortown, Meanwood, Weetwood, Headingley and Woodhouse before completing seven circuits of a city centre loop.

They will then transition on Millennium Square from bikes to running before covering 10-kilometres in four shorter laps of the city centre loop culminating in the thrilling finale of the event to be played out on the finish line on the square.

The unique point-to-point route has been designed to provide the best possible spectator experience, especially in the city centre where crowds watching the bike and run elements will see the field pass them multiple times.

Crowds are encouraged to show their support and enjoy the chance to see the world’s best in action for free, recreating the incredible atmosphere of the unforgettable 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ and again showcasing the city and its residents to a watching global live television audience.

The UK Sport National Lottery-funded #EveryRoadtoRio event is being organised by British Triathlon, Lagardère Sports, Leeds City Council and the ITU.

Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee said:

“The route shows what an exciting race the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds will be for spectators. The multi-lap bike course goes into the heart of the city centre making it really technical and spectator friendly with plenty of opportunities to watch the racing. With an iconic finish in Millennium Square, it’s going to be brilliant.”

Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said:

“We are delighted to be able to finally reveal the full route detail for the first-ever Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds which will be one of the standout must-see events of the year in our city.

“The route has been designed very much with spectators in mind, so it will be fantastic to see thousands of people watching the thrilling spectacle as the world’s best including our own home stars do battle on the streets of Leeds in an incredible atmosphere. This promises to be another magnificent event to showcase Leeds to the world so we can’t wait.”

Full road-by-road details of the elite route can be seen in the notes section below. All properties along the route impacted by the event will be receiving the first of two letters from today with initial details, information and guidance concerning the event. Roads around the route are expected to close by 5am at the latest on 12 June, and will be closed for a minimum of 12 hours with the route needing to be completely clear of vehicles. A second letter with further details will be issued in the weeks before the event.

Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained through the event and emergency services, health and social care providers, community meals at home and other agencies are working together to ensure care and support individuals may need is provided.

With the elite races taking place in the afternoon, they will be preceded by the mass-participation events in the morning offering approximately 5,000 amateur triathletes the chance to take on the same course as the professionals, with the only slight differences being variations to the bike and run elements to cater for the different distances being completed and the second transition point being on the former site of the Leeds International Pool. All competitors will enjoy the chance to cross the same finish line on Millennium Square.

To sign up for the final entries in the sprint and beginner events go to http://leeds.triathlon.org/enter_now. Anyone keen to volunteer at the event can express their interest via http://leeds.triathlon.org//event_info/volunteer

The previous day, Saturday 11 June, will see a range of activities taking place in Roundhay Park offering families and people of all ages a sample of triathlon before the main event. Full details of the Saturday programme will be revealed in the weeks to come.

For the latest information on the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds, which is part of UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded #EveryRoadtoRio events series, visit http://leeds.triathlon.org/ or follow on social media via Facebook and Twitter.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

British Triathlon - Helen Gorman on 07739 456644 or helengorman@britishtriathlon.org or Tom Goldspink on 07795415452 tomgoldspink@britishtriathlon.org

Leeds City Council – Roger Boyde at roger.boyde.leeds.gov.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds 2016 – elite route detail

The elite races will take place on the following route following the swim element which will take place in Roundhay Park’s Waterloo Lake:

Bike course:

Transition swim to bike (Car park at Roundhay Park) then Park Avenue, Princes Avenue, Street Lane, Stonegate Road, Meanwood Road, Grove Lane, Shaw Lane, Otley Road, North Lane, Cardigan Road, Burley Road, Burley Street, West Gate, The Headrow, Calverley Street, Millennium Square (START OF CITY CENTRE LAPS), Cookridge Street, The Headrow, Briggate, Albion Place, Albion Street, The Headrow, Park Row, South Parade, East Parade, The Headrow, Park Square East, St Pauls Street, Park Square West, Westgate, A58, Westgate, The Headrow, Calverley Street, Millennium Square, (END OF LAP).

Following transition two on Millennium Square, the run course is as follows:

Millennium Square, Cookridge Street, The Headrow, Briggate, Albion Place, Albion Street, The Headrow, Park Row, South Parade, East Parade, The Headrow, Park Square East, St Pauls St, Park Square West, Westgate, The Headrow, Calverley Street, Millennium Square (END OF LAP/FINISH LINE).

About British Triathlon

British Triathlon is the governing body for the sport in Great Britain. It is responsible for raising the profile and delivering elite performance for Triathlon, Paratriathlon, Duathlon and Aquathlon in Great Britain. Triathlon is a fast growing, dynamic and modern Olympic sport with talented world class athletes, coaches and support staff, focused around delivering world-class events and medal winning performances. Visit www.britishtriathlon.org for more information.

Visit www.britishtriathlonmedia.org for downloadable image galleries, detailed athlete profiles, results, stats and information.

About Leeds City Council

Leeds City Council is the second-largest local authority in England with a population of around 776,000. Leeds has a very proud sporting heritage and we are committed to encouraging sport as a way of promoting the city and healthy lifestyles, as well as bringing world-class events. This can be seen in the success of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ and the Rugby World Cup 2015, building towards our ambition to become European Capital of Culture 2023. The council works in partnership with the city’s three universities, national governing bodies and key stakeholders to develop sport from grassroots to elite level. Visit www.leeds.gov.uk for more information.

About Lagardère Sports

Lagardère Sports is one of the world's leading sports and entertainment agencies and forms part of Lagardère Sports & Entertainment. The events division of Lagardère Sports specialises in the promotion, marketing, organisation and delivery of televised events. Its business in the UK includes the delivery of mass participation endurance sports (triathlon and cycling) for elite and lifestyle participants. Events include the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds and Velothon Wales.

About the International Triathlon Union (ITU)

The International Triathlon Union is the world governing body for the Olympic sport of Triathlon and all related MultiSport disciplines including Duathlon, Aquathlon, CrossTriathlon and Winter Triathlon.

ITU was founded in 1989 at the first ITU Congress in Avignon, France. It has maintained its headquarters in Vancouver, Canada since then and also has offices in Lausanne, Switzerland and Madrid,Spain. It now has over 167 affiliated National Federations on five continents and is the youngest International Federation in the Olympic Games. Triathlon was awarded Olympic Games status in 1994 and made its Olympic debut in Sydney 2000.

Triathlon is also featured in the Asian Games, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games. Paratriathlon was accepted into the Paralympic Games in2010 and will make its Paralympic debut in Rio 2016. ITU is proudly committed to supporting the development of the sport worldwide through strong relationships with continental and national federations, working with its partners to offer a balanced sport development programme from grassroots to a high-performance level.

For more information, visit: www.triathlon.org

About UK Sport

UK Sport is the nation’s high performance sports agency responsible for the strategic investment of National Lottery and Exchequer funding into Olympic and Paralympic sports and bringing major sporting events to the UK.

Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds is part of UK Sport’s #EveryRoadtoRio events series, which will feature over 30 world class sports events the length and breadth of the UK, with over 900,000 tickets available to the British public to support their athletes.

This ambitious National Lottery funded programme will support British athletes’ preparation and qualification for Rio 2016, with up to 95 direct and over 300 indirect qualification spots available, while generating economic impact for host cities and regions of over £37 million.

Throughout the #EveryRoadtoRio series UK Sport will be promoting exclusive ticket offers, opportunities to meet the athletes and get privileged behind the scenes access to events. Sign up now at www.uksport.gov.uk/events

About Columbia Threadneedle Investments

Columbia Threadneedle Investments is a leading global asset management group that provides a broad range of actively managed investment strategies and solutions for individual, institutional and corporate clients around the world. With more than 2000 people including over 450 investment professionals based in North America, Europe and Asia, we manage £323 billion¹ of assets across developed and emerging market equities, fixed income, asset allocation solutions and alternatives.

Our priority is the investment success of our clients. We aim to deliver the investment outcomes our clients expect through an investment approach that is team-based, performance-driven and risk-aware.

Columbia Threadneedle Investments started its successful relationship with the ITU World Series in 2013 and has since become global financial services sponsor.

The Columbia Threadneedle Rankings

As a global asset manager Columbia Threadneedle Investments recognises the importance of being the best in the field, not just at home, but on a global basis. The Columbia Threadneedle Rankings are used to determine the best performing triathletes across the ITU World Triathlon Series.

The Columbia Threadneedle Rankings Leader Trophy is presented to the top male and female elite athlete at each ITU World Triathlon Series event. In 2015 the Columbia Threadneedle Rankings Leader wore bespoke race markings and carried the colours of the new Rankings logo on their bike rack in transition.

Launched in 2015, the Columbia Threadneedle Rankings Report identifies the trends and interesting statistics after each event throughout the season.

The official Columbia Threadneedle Rankings can be accessed at www.wts.triathlon.org/ColumbiaThreadneedleRankings. Engage with the conversation on social media using the hashtag #CT_Rankings, or follow @CTinvest_Tri

For media enquiries please contact:

Laura Cook, 020 7464 5650, laura.cook@columbiathreadneedle.com

Ella Tekdag, 020 7464 5082, ella.tekdag@columbiathreadneedle.com

All figures as at 30 June 2015. ¹ Source: Ameriprise Financial Q2 2015 earnings release. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of investments and any income is not guaranteed and can go down as well as up and may be affected by exchange rate fluctuations. This means that an investor may not get back the amount invested. This material is for information only and does not constitute an offer or solicitation of an order to buy or sell any securities or other financial instruments, or to provide investment advice or services. Columbia Threadneedle Investments is the global brand name of the Columbia and Threadneedle group of companies.

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact:

Roger Boyde,

Leeds City Council press office,

Email: roger.boyde@leeds.gov.uk