More races, more athletes and the biggest aquabike race in history. 2024 was another record-breaking year for our still-young multisport discipline. In the second part of our season review, you’ll see plenty of record-setting numbers. But first, let’s take a look at how the championship races and some of the other major events of the season unfolded.
Aquabike racing is a dynamic and rapidly growing multisport event that combines swimming and cycling, leaving out the run segment found in triathlons. You will dive into a swim segment followed by a challenging bike ride, with the race concluding after you cross the timing mat at the end of the cycling leg.
Often known as “Swim, Bike, Done!”
Aquabike is an excellent option if you who want a taste of multisport racing without the impact of running, making it especially appealing if you are recovering from injuries, seeking a low-impact alternative, or simply looking to focus on their strengths in swimming and biking.
Why choose aquabike?
It offers you a fantastic balance of endurance and skill, allowing you to hone your swim and cycling performance. Plus, it can be a stepping stone if you are considering a triathlon or a standalone challenge for those who thrive in these two disciplines.
Whether you’re new to endurance sports or a seasoned triathlete, aquabike is a versatile and inclusive option.
The 2025 Long Distance Triathlon and Aquabike World Championships will take place as the final race of the World Triathlon Multisport World Championships on June 29th. This marks the second time, after 2019, that the event will be hosted in the Galician town in the northwest of Spain, which also held the Standard Distance World Championships in 2023.
The race venue will remain the same as in previous events, and the swim course in the Río Lérez is also unchanged. However, this could be the first time the swim spans the full 1.9 km distance, as it was shortened due to low water temperatures in 2019. Back then, the event was held in early May, but with the championships now scheduled for late June, water temperatures are less likely to pose an issue.
As an aquabike athlete, you know the thrill of racing against the clock, the strength you feel in the water, and the freedom of cycling on open roads. But what happens when race season is over, or you’re not actively preparing for a specific event?
It’s tempting to think of the off-season as a time to step back completely, but maintaining a structured maintenance plan during this period can be a game-changer for your performance, health, and long-term success.
Here’s why every aquabike athlete should prioritize a maintenance plan, along with how my tailored plans on TrainingPeaks and Final Surge can support your goals.
A crashing party with a new generation of aquabikers and a mysterious case of disappearing air. That’s how you can summarize the 2024 Standard Distance Aquabike World Championships in Torremolinos.
No less than 567 athletes from 30 countries all around the world have signed up for the third edition of the standard distance aquabike world championships. By the number of athletes this will be by far the biggest aquabike race in the still young history of this multisport discipline. And potentially the most chaotic one.
I am delighted to introduce you to our new partner for the aquabike training plans you can find on Aquabike.World.
Karen Parnell from ChiliTri is a Level 3 British Triathlon and IRONMAN Certified Coach, WOWSA Level 3 open water swimming coach, 80/20 Endurance certified coach and NASM Personal Trainer and Sports Technology Writer.
Karen is currently studying for an MSc in Sports Performance Coaching at the University of Stirling.
Alongside the Aquabike.World training plans she also coaches a very small number of athletes one to one for all aquabike and triathlon distances, open water swimming events and running races.
For many years British athletes were asking for it, wondering why there are national championships for all the other multisport disciplines over various distances, while aquabike – a discipline which is established for quite a while now on the British Islands -was always left behind.
I know this one comes ridiculously late as we are currently working on a big update. The Long Distance Aquabike World Championships in Townsville are more than a month ago now. Nevertheless, the outstanding performances we saw downunder certainly deserve to be honoured.
The Australian winter welcomed the athletes with blue sky and warm temperatures on race day. Though the water was still cool enough to make the race wetsuit legal. It was the first World Championship outside Europe since the very first edition in 2017 which happened to be in Penticton, Canada. As not too many athletes from Europe and North America were travelling over the ocean, the race brought up some new faces on the aquabike world’s podium and certainly a few surprises.
The Multisport World Championships in Townsville, Australia are already in full swing. As always, the Long Distance Aquabike race will be the big final alongside the Triathlon. It will be the first long distance aquabike championship race outside Europe since the very first edition in 2017 in Pentincton, Canada.
Race the Reef is the slogan of the event. I’m not exactly sure if you’ll get to see some corals during the swim. But the coastal area in north-east Queensland certainly provides a worthy setting for the seventh edition of the World Triathlon Multisport Championships.