871 aquabike races in 25 countries (including six new countries on the Aquabike.World map), national aquabike championships in 12 countries (3 new), the first ever standard distance aquabike World Championships and thousands of happy faces on the finishline, many of them finishing their first ever aquabike race. That´s the summary of the 2022 aquabike racing season.
In early 2021 in some countries many events still had to be cancelled. So 2022 marked the first full racing season for many athletes after the pandemic years. Multisport racing was back in full operation mode and all international championships could take place as planned.
Unfortunately, that didn´t apply for all national championships. New Zealand was planned to be the first country to hold national aquabike championships at the Challenge Wanaka. After the race had to be cancelled it was a week later in Australia where the first national aquabike championship race of the season took place at the Shimano Husky Triathlon Festival. Mick QUINN and Sally WOOD took the first titles of the year.
On May 1st we had the US Aquabike Championships over the standard distance in Irving, Texas. With 250 athletes finishing the race this was one of the biggest races of the year with more aquabikers than in both world championships races later in the year. In the men´s race as well as in the women´s race the most successful aquabike athletes over the last few years had to settle for second place this time. Miguel MATTOX took the title in the men´s race with a strong performance ahead of Kurt HOLT and Johnathan DOLAN, while Jenna HAUFLER won the women´s race with Amber SMOLIK taking silver and Meghan HENRY taking bronze.
A week later the first ever national aquabike championship race over the long distance took place in Spain at the Tradeinn International Triathlon 140.6INN. Although the time allocation was a bit unlucky. With the national middle-distance championships following a week later not many athletes opted for the double. Albert GRATACÓS GRAU took the long distance title in the men´s race, while Ainara BENAVENTE BABACE won the women´s race. She was one of the few athletes who also started a week later in Pamplona, where she had to settle for 4th place. It was Irati MENDIA GARCIA who took the gold medal in the women´s race, while Albert REDOLAD CANALDA was the fastest aquabiker in in the men´s race.
2022 marked the comeback year of aquabike racing in Germany . Or maybe even the start of aquabike racing alltogehter. The world´s first ever aquabike race happened to be 22 years ago at the Swim & Bike Werbellinsee – not part of a triathlon, but a standalone swim and bike event (you can read more about it in The History of Aquabike Racing). After it´s last edition in 2013 there hasn´t been any aquabike race in Germany. Until the 29th of May last year, when Jonas HAFEMANN and Katja MÖLLER took the wins in the middle distance aquabike race at the Vierlanden Triathlon.
While there hasn´t been any aquabike race in Poland before 2022, Poland was now the first country to have national aquabike championships over four different race distances. At least that was the plan. Unfortunately, the middle distance race at the Poznań Triathlon had to be cancelled due to bad water quality. However, the first national champions were crowned at the sprint distance race at the Triathlon Rzeszów on the 5th on June where Bartosz DUDEK took the title in the men´s race, while Małgorzata KUKUCZ-LEGIEŃ was the fastest female athlete in the race.
A week later the Irish Aquabike Champions were crowned at the Fingal Skerries AquaBike. Ross HAMILTON defended his title to take a clear win in the men´s competition. In the women´s race we had a pretty close finish. Danielle O’ RIORDAN took her first aquabike title, holding off Jennifer O’SULLIVAN by eight seconds.
On the 3rd of July the biggest non championship aquabike race of the season took place at the traditional Ch´Tri Man Gravelines in France . No less than 153 aquabike athletes finished the race, which was won by Jan VANALLEMEERSCH from Belgium ahead of his fellow countryman Quinten DE RIDDER. Dutch athlete Anne STELLAARD took an impressive win in the women´s race ahead of Nathalie PONSODA from France.
On the same day the very first aquabike race in Scandinavia happened to be at the Challenge Vansbro in Sweden where Søren NIELSEN from Denmark and Britain´s Alex SMETHURST took the wins in the men´s and the women´s race.
The Aquabike Long Distance Championships were originally planned to take place in Townsville, Australia. After the cancellation was announced in December 2021 due to ongoing travel restrictions in Australia, World Triathlon seemed to struggle to find a new location and organizer for the 2022 World´s. It wasn´t before mid-March when Samorin in Slovakia was finally announced as the new location for the Aquabike World Championships on August 21st. Five months before the event it was probably a little short to plan for a big event for many athletes. With 164 finishers it´s only been a few more than the year before in Almere, when it was still hard to plan longer travels due to changing travel restrictions. In a close but due to the long run to the finish also controversial race it was Daniel KLOSA from Germany who crossed the finishline first, eight seconds ahead of his fellow countryman Jonas HAFEMANN, while Kurt HOLT came in third. On the women´s podium Amber SMOLIK took the top spot after coming in third the year before. British athletes Maria POWELL and Kelly WARRINGTON completed the podium in Samorin. Read more about the race in our race report.
On the same day we had the second championship race in Poland , this time at the Elemental Tri Series Białystok over the standard distance where Piotr ŁAZARONEK and Anna WYPARŁO took the titles in the men´s and the women´s race.
A week later, on August 28th, the Danish national aquabike champions were chosen at the Silkeborg Triathlon. Sune STEINICHE KJÆR took ist first aquabike title in close race, holding off second placed Jacob DYRBYE by 24 seconds. But the women´s race was even closer. Anna SEROP took the gold medal only a single second ahead of Heidi KJÆR MIKKELSEN who had to settle for second.
A bit further southwest the first ever aquabike race in Belgium – which also happened to be the first national aquabike championships – took place at the Triatlonweekend Viersel. In a strong competition 2021 European and World Champion Adam LAMBRECHTS also took the gold medal in his home country´s national aquabike championships in an exceptionally strong field of competitors. In the women´s race it was Kaat VAN EYNDE who took the first national aquabike title in Belgium.
On the 3rd of September we had the national championships in Slovenia at the Triglav Triatlon in Bled where Mitja MORI took a clear win in the men´s race while Vita PILIH took the women´s title.
The following day the third national aquabike championships of the year in Poland followed. This time over the long distance at the Castle Triatlon Malbork. Rafał KORULCZYK took a clear win ahead of standard distance champion Piotr ŁAZARONEK. In the women´s race Agnieszka FĄFEREK took the title with Kinga LOREK coming in second.
The following weekend we had the first ever national aquabike championships in Canada – 16 years after the first aquabike races took place. It took a while but where now carried out over two distances both on the same racing weekend at the Montreal Esprit Triathlon. The Aqua-Vélo Olympique took place on Saturday, September 10th. Ironically fastest man of the day was the only US athlete who started the race. Wade GROW won the race, while Virginie AUBÉ coming in second, becoming the first national aquabike champion of Canada. The women´s title went to Francine AMYOT in a close race, finishing six seconds ahead of Cecile BEAUREPAIRE who took the silver medal.
On Sunday the middle distance championships followed at the Aqua-Vélo Demi-Esprit. Roy ERIC took the title in the men´s race, putting Jean-Philippe BERCIER into second place. In the women´s race it Cecile BEAUREPAIRE was the winner, while Alexandra DESILETS had to settle for the silver medal.
A week later the national championships in Slovakia followed at the Pressburg Aquabike in Bratislava. Peter ROJTÁŠ took a clear win in the men´s competition. Alena SINAY came in third overall, also taking a clear win in the women´s race.
On the same day we also had the biggest aquabike race of the season in in UK , which – for some weird reason – still don´t have national championships. The Bournemouth International Triathlon was the third qualification race for the 2024 standard distance world´s in Pontevedra, Spain. With 115 athletes it attracted the biggest field of aquabike athletes. After winning no less than 9 standard distance aquabike races earlier this season Mark YEOMAN had to settle for second place behind Robin HUGHES who showed an impressive performance in that race. The women´s race was won by the big favourite Amy PRITCHARD with Anel MEYER following in second place, just about a minute behind.
The second edition of the National Aquabike Championships in Brazil took place on September 18th. Leandro ROBERTO FERREIRA won his first title while last year´s runner up Thiago DE SOUZA CALDAS had to settle for second once again. The title in the women´s aquabike race was taken by Marina MACHADO BERTI, with Vivian ALVES CANUTO taking the silver medal.
The biggest aquabike race of the 2022 season took place on the 24th of September at the European Aquabike Championships in Bilbao . Defending Champion Adam LAMBRECHTS once again showed an impressive performance in both disciplines, taking an unchallenged win ahead of Britain´s Kris WHITELAW and Irish Champion Ross HAMILTON. The women´s race also saw a win by the big favourite. Amy PRITCHARD took her second overall win in a European Championships race after 2019. Strong Spanish athlete Virginia BERASATEGI LUNA came in second, with with young Julie BALCAROVA from Czechia taking the bronze medal.
The US Long Course Aquabike Championships took place on the same weekend at the Toughman Triathlon in Stony Point, NY. Unfortunately, it couldn´t be carried out as an aquabike race. After the swim had to be cancelled due to algae bloom in Lake Welch the aquabike race was reduced to a bike time trial. That´s why the results haven´t been included in our Aquabike.World Ranking. However, the winner certainly deserves some attention, showing strong performances on the bike. In the men´s race it was aquabike veteran Blair Saunders who managed to hold off his younger competitors. Kirk GILLIGAN, 3rd in 2021, climbed up one more step on the podium this time, switching places with Gary CUNDIFF who had to settle for third this year. In the women´s race it was Stephanie VAN BEBBER who took the gold medal, taking the third win of the season. Sarah HESS came in second, with Lauren TWOMBLY completing the podium.
On November 13th happened to be the first ever aquabike race in a country you probably wouldn´t guess. Pamela FULTON was the winner – and only competitor – of the first aquabike race at Mt. Pleasant Triathlon in Harare, Zimbabwe .
But the aquabike season was not over yet. On the 26th of November the first ever Standard Distance Aquabike World Championships took place in Abu Dhabi . Irishman Nigel FANNING took the win in the men´s race, with Bruce CAMPBELL from South Africa taking silver and first ever Long Distance Aquabike World Champion Stephen SHELDRAKE from New Zealand taking the bronze medal. Great to see the medals going to athletes from three different continents. Other than that the women´s podium was purely European, with big favourite Amy PRITCHARD taking the top spot ahead of Dominika JOSEFOVA from Czechia and Elke SCHOENHARDT from Germany. Read more about the race in our race report.
So that was our summery of the biggest aquabike races in 2022. But there´s more to come in our 2022 season review. Stay tuned!