GRAND prix format, warm weather, Bathurst Wallabies racing alongside talented athletes from across the region - it's a formula which promises to excite come Tuesday.
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The annual January 26 Bathurst hosted round of the Central West Inter-club Triathlon Series has witnessed both strong participation rates and brilliant racing over the years.
While COVID-19 restrictions will make this year a little different - there will be no post-race presentations or barbecue - Bathurst Wallabies Triathlon Club president Richard Blackie is still excited about the event.
"Registrations seem to be going okay, we'll probably have a few less than previous years, but at the moment that's just the way it's going, it should still be a pretty good race," he said.
"Hopefully with this being one of our big events, it will generate a bit of interest and we can get a lot of people involved.
"I hope we see people travelling from other clubs to us and they see how fun it is. In the last three years that has been a big push of ours trying to get people to other inter-clubs, which we've been doing."
The annual series involves members of the Bathurst, Mudgee, Orange, Cowra and Dubbo clubs doing battle, which each club hosting a round for which they can decide the format.
For Bathurst it will be a grand prix race - meaning it starts with a 2.5 kilometre run, followed by a 200m swim then 16km cycle leg. Then it's back into the pool for another 200m before finishing off with a final 2.5km run.
"It's easier for us with inter-club because we have so many people we can't fit that many people in the pool to start the race," Blackie said of the format.
"If we start with a run it sort of spreads everyone out and it's not as congested when they're entering the pool.
"I also quite like the grand prix format. We're pretty lucky in Bathurst - well we think - that our course is pretty nice and pretty interesting."
After round one of the series in Mudgee on November 22, both Mudgee and Orange are joint leaders on the series with 30 points. Bathurst ranks third (23), Dubbo fourth (12.5) and Cowra is yet to open its account.
Bathurst's Hollee Simons won the opening women's race, while fellow Wallabies Nick North and Josh Stapley enjoyed podium finishes in the men's race won by Orange's Rory Thornhill.
"In Mudgee was had a few people finish at the pointy end and we're hoping this round will be the same, having people at the pointy end is always nice, but we're just hoping to get as many people as possible with the racing," Blackie said.
With the temperature predicted to his 34 degrees it will add to the challenge, with senior racing to commence at 9.30am.
