FRENCH DEBUTS, CASSANDRE’S BATTLES AND CAN HAYDEN PLAY IT SAFE? EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SUPER LEAGUE TRIATHLON TOULOUSE

Super League Triathlon is back after its brief mid-Championship Series hiatus with a decisive weekend in Toulouse incoming.

As the fourth round of a five-event Series, this is the weekend that all those athletes hoping for a title charge, a podium spot in the Overall Standings, a Discipline Leaderboard bonus or to boost their Teams need to make their move ahead of the Grand Finale in NEOM.

But with a brand-new venue, a fresh course and new impetus after a weekend off, there are sure to be plenty of athletes thinking this will be their weekend.

We take a look at everything you need to know ahead of the race:

Vive la France

It’s been a while in the making, but finally Super League Triathlon lands in France and the stunning city of Toulouse.

Given the strength of French athletes in SLT down the years it seems like a natural home for Super League, with strong crowds expected to line a unique city centre venue.

With the bike and run course following the same 1km loop, it will not only make for quite a spectacle but also mean the run is one lap on Stages 1 and 2 and two laps on Stage 3.

It’s unique, different, and is likely to produce different results and different tactics.

So much focus on Cass

As the darling of French triathlon, all eyes will be on Cassandre Beaugrand as she races on home soil.

After skipping Malibu she should be physically fresh, but the big question is over whether she has mentally recovered from a scarring experience in Munich.

Her bike crash in familiarisation left her clearly nervy, and she chased Discipline Leaderboard points for her team before dropping out of the race.

Have the mental scars healed? Or will they rear their head again?

And what of her partnership with Georgia Taylor-Brown? The pair are both fighting for Bahrain Victorious Scorpions, but only GTB is in with a chance of taking the title.

It throws up the intriguing possibility that if the pair dominate that Beaugrand could help her teammate to victory rather than claim the win herself. It is all speculation, but anything is possible.

Podium ambitions for Spivey

Whether or not Taylor Spivey truly expected to be top of the Overall Leaderboard three races into the Championship Series is anybody’s guess, but now she is there the winning line is starting to loom on the horizon.

For Spivey the maths is very simple. If she finishes on the podium in Toulouse then she will go into the Grand Finale in NEOM knowing that victory will give her the Championship Series title.

Spivey is likely to want more than third place given her first SLT win in Malibu last time out, but even if she finds herself not quite on her A game she has given herself a small margin of wiggle room. Of course, victory would put her very much in pole position.

Can Hayden play it safe?

Hayden Wilde has one hand on the Championship Series trophy already, but now grapples with how to ensure that grip is not loosened.

Matt Hauser’s crash and early elimination in Malibu has handed Wilde a huge advantage, but also underlined to him the fragility of Super League racing.

So, the question no doubt going through Wilde’s head is how best to play it in Toulouse?

He is by nature a very aggressive racer. That means taking risks, and that is when he is at his best. Does he go for it, keep his foot on the gas and take the risks associated with it? Or does he subconsciously start to play it safe? If it’s the latter, it is hard to assess what impact it will have on him.

Wilde’s battles now are more likely to be with himself than the opposition chasing his leading position.

Scorpions to bite again

Malibu was a somewhat chastening race for the Bahrain Victorious Scorpions. They were running away with the Teams Leaderboard after London and there was already speculation that they could be all but uncatchable by the time Toulouse came around. As it turns out they have instead sunk to third.

Beaugrand struggling in the individual in Munich and then not attending Malibu hurt their incredibly strong women’s team, while their men have not performed.

Malibu was a real low point as not a single male Scorpion made it across the finish line.

Kenji Nener returns to bolster their line-up this weekend, but the pressure has been placed on their men by the team management.

Whether the Sharks and Cheetahs can continue at the same level remains to be seen, but nobody is safe with the Eagles landing Dorian Coninx, and getting Summer Rappaport as a replacement for Non Stanford, while the Rhinos gain Laura Lindemann.