Pros praise Xterra course in Liloan

REIGNING champions Ben Allen and Renata Bucher are all geared up for the Vaseline Men Xterra Off-road Triathlon Series today at the Seafront Beach Resort in Liloan, Cebu.

The race will feature a 1.5-kilometer swim, 36K bike and a 9.4-km run. It will also have a lite division featuring a 500-meter swim, 18K bike and 5.2K run.

This year’s race, which attracted 460 participants, has a modified race course and Allen and Bucher said it is more challenging compared to last year. The two met with the media during a press conference together with Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco, Vaseline men’s brand manager Jonathan Pua, Sunrise events’ Fred Uytengsu and Xterra World Tour managing director Dave Nicholas at the Crimson Hotel.

“I was surprised that Cebu has really good mountain bike routes, nobody can really ride that fast, riders should be very flexible on the bike,” said Bucher, who was injured during last year’s World Championship in Maui, Hawaii.

Aside from the course, Bucher is up for a greater challenge with the presence of 2011 and 2012 Xterra world champion Leslie Paterson, who also said she was also amazed with Liloan’s race course.

“The race course is really very spectacular especially the climbing part, so technical and physically demanding,” said Paterson.

She added that one of the greatest challenges for the race is the humidity and the heat. Allen is advising all participants to be well hydrated to avoid dehydration during the race.