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The ITU World Triathlon Series continues this weekend in San Diego, and it should be an epic weekend of racing at the birthplace of the sport of triathlon. There are two days of events scheduled, but the big one circled on most calendars is the men's elite race, and a showdown between Great Britain's Alistair Brownlee and Spain's Javier Gomez, the gold and silver medal winners from the 2012 Summer Olympics, respectively.
Brownlee, just 24, is the ITU World Champion from 2009 and 2011, while Gomez, 30, won the title in 2008 and 2010, and was runner-up in 2012. The two have quickly established one of the greatest rivalries in sports, and the showdown in San Diego should be epic.
"In the past six years the two men have raced each over 20 times with Gomez winning eight times and Brownlee defeating him a dozen times. Of those 20 races, only twice (Beijing Olympic Games being one of them) did neither of the men win the overall race (Javier was 4th and Alistair was 12th).
"The rivalry between the two has been going for six years with Javier winning more of the races in the first few years and Alistair dominating in the last 24 months."
Gomez leads the current ITU rankings with 800 points after his win in Auckland at the opening round of the ITU World Triathlon Series.
Expert analysis by Olympian Kris Gemmell and ITU commentator Barrie Shepley of this weekend's races in San Diego.
The weekend's races begin with the Elite Women at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday. Then on Saturday, the day is full of Age Group Olympic Distance, Aquabike, Sprint and ITU Paratriathlon races. It's all capped by the weekend's highlight event, the Elite Men, set to race Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Here's a full schedule for Saturday:
| Age Group Olympic Distance & Aquabike | ||
| Transition Opens | Ventura Cove | 4:30 a.m. |
| VIP Packet Pick-Up | Ventura Cove | 4:45 a.m. - 6:10 a.m. |
| Transition Closes | Ventura Cove | 6:15 a.m. |
| Age Group Race Start | Ventura Cove | 6:30 a.m. |
| Bike Checkout | Ventura Cove | 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. |
| Expo | Bonita Cove Park | 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. |
| Age Group Sprint Distance & ITU Paratriathlon | ||
| ITU Paratriathlon Athlete Lounge/ Equipment Check/Transition Opens | Ventura Cove | 6:30 a.m. |
| Transition Opens | Ventura Cove | 6:45 a.m. |
| VIP Packet Pick-Up | Ventura Cove | 7 a.m. - 8:25 a.m. |
| ITU Paratriathlon Race Start | Ventura Cove | 8:20 a.m. |
| Transition Closes | Ventura Cove | 8:30 a.m. |
| Age Group Sprint Distance Start | Ventura Cove | 8:45 a.m. |
| Bike Checkout | Ventura Cove | 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. |
| Elite Men's Race | Bonita Cove, Mission Blvd, W. Mission Bay Dr. | 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. |
The races will be aired on the Universal Sports Network, and streamed live online at http://universalsports.com/triathlon/ and http://triathlonlive.tv/.
Germany's Anne Haug is the leader in the women's ITU rankings, followed by Maaike Caelers (Netherlands) and Australia's Felicity Abram.
San Diego is the second of eight stops on the 2013 ITU World Triathlon Series schedule "as the world's top triathletes compete head-to-head to be crowned the 2013 ITU World Champion." The series continues on May 11-12, in Yokohama, Japan.