2026 IRONMAN Pro Series European Opener Preview: 70.3 Pays d’Aix

The IRONMAN Pro Series will kick-off in Europe this weekend with IRONMAN 70.3 Pays d’Aix in Aix-en-Provence, France. The start lists for both men and women have incredible depth, and the hilly, technical race course is sure to bring the best to the podium. 

The one-lap swim takes place outside of the city in a lake, but this race is more about the bike and run. Just like the races in Nice, the Aix course features classic, twisty French roads that will favour strong bikers with 1,077 m of elevation (3,533 feet). The majority of the climbs aren’t too steep, but the descents are technical and fast. That said, the final big climb at about 67 km is a bit more punchy and will show who has paced and fueled well. T2 is right in the heart of the city, as is the three lap run course. Primarily on the city roads, there is an abundance of turns–and opportunities for opponents to see gaps–that will hopefully make for an exciting finish. 

Philipp and Pierre Headline Women’s Race

Coming back to defend her title is French favorite Marjolaine Pierre. In her natural hilly habitat, the young Frenchwoman will no doubt show her cycling prowess, and may even better her own course record set last year. Combined with her incredible running, she is an outright podium contender, but this year’s start list has a lot more competition. 

For starters, it’s hard to go past Laura Philipp for the win. Philipp has yet to race this year and was just recently in hospital for “very strong stomach and back pain.” But an athlete of her calibre, especially on the run, cannot be counted out for the overall win if she takes the start line. 

Perhaps the most intriguing starter on the list is short course athlete Tanja Neubert. The German has done two other 70.3s in her career – Bahrain in 2024, where she was second, and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships last year, where she was third behind Lucy Charles-Barclay and Taylor Knibb. Her lack of experience might be a deficit, especially on such a hilly course, but it also leaves the door open. 

Speaking of short course athletes, Lisa Perterer, who moved into long distance at the end of 2024, will be opening her season in Aix after missing IRONMAN Texas due to illness. The Austrian is coming off a fantastic season and, after a DNS in Texas, will be looking to better her sixth place from last year.

Another Texas dropout, India Lee, will also be adding some punch to the mix. If she’s healthy and in good form, Lee will be toward the front, especially in the early parts of the race with her supreme swim-bike combo. You can also expect Swiss athlete Imogen Simmonds to get some tv time. Simmonds opened her season up at T100 Gold Coast, where she finished third, and she even won Aix back in 2021. And, finally, keep an eye out for Daniela Kleiser, who will be running down the field at the end of the race. She will be coming out of the water toward the back, but should be able to run herself into the prize money and clock one of the faster run splits. 

While far from the spotlight, the midpack fight is going to be even more competitive. The start list is massive, with 38 women and the competition to get into the top ten will be fierce and close. Lizzie Rayner, Hanne De Vet, Katrine Christensen and Fenella Langridge are all regular podium contenders and will be making the top 10 an impressive place to finish. 

Bogen and Von Berg Highlight Men’s Race

On the men’s side, there are 55 men listed to race. While there are big names, there isn’t one big stand out, which should make the race more interesting. However, the list of contenders has to start with Rico Bogen. While he’s been focusing on T100 racing over the last few years, he’s the 2023 70.3 world champion and was fifth in Marbella last year. He will no doubt push his chips in on the bike, while his T100 run speed should carry him through on the run. 

Rudy Von Berg is a name that always attracts attention but, results wise, he is inconsistent when it comes to 70.3 racing. He’s already had plenty of racing this season with a fifth at IRONMAN Texas–an impressive result at the unofficial world champs preview–along with a 15th and seventh at Oceanside and Dallas. There are plenty of hungry competitors that might foil the long distance specialist’s ambitions. 

Kristian Høgenhaug is another contender who will be looking to make an impact on the bike–and hopefully the run. He was first off the bike at IRONMAN Texas, but ultimately finished 12th, saying on social media that he raced well for where he was at in training and hoped to have better form in a few months. Well, it’s been one month, so let’s see if he’s been able to pick up a bit more speed. Let’s not forget that when he finished second at IRONMAN Frankfurt last year he out-biked Blummenfelt by eight minutes and held off the other two Norwegians on the run. Høgenhaug has the goods, but whether it’s too early in the season for him to be on form is the question. . 

Expect to see Jamie Riddle out of the swim early with the likes of Pierre Le Corre, Justus Nieschlag, and Kyle Smith. Like Bogen, Smith has been focusing on T100 the last two seasons, but opened his season with IRONMAN New Zealand where he finished 11th. He went straight back to T100 Singapore, so why not a 70.3? He was fourth at the 2024 world champs and has the speed to contend for the podium. 

Defending champion, Kristian Blummenfelt is not making a return appearance, but last year’s third place finisher, Simon Viain, will be there. The Frenchman has placed fourth, second and third over the last few years so, although his podium last year was arguably his career-best result (just 78 seconds behind Blummenfelt and 47 seconds behind Casper Stornes). The start list is pretty deep this year, but Vlain has beaten some of the best in the world on this course, so he might be able to do it again. 

A special shout out to three other racers who are all coming over from XTERRA racing: Jens Emil Nielsen, Arthur Serrieres and Felix Forissier. Nielsen, whose first road season was 2025, raced in Aix last year and, while he only finished 25th, the Dane ran a 1:08, which was the fifth fastest of the day. He’s also been spotted training with his compatriot, Høgenhaug, in the days leading up to the race. Serrieres dabbled on the road before, but it seems like the five-time XTERRA World Champion is making more of a deliberate shift after recently winning the Cannes International Triathlon. Forissier, the current XTERRA world champion, will be making his pro road debut but, as a member of the Triathl’Aix club based in Aix-en-Provence, he’s on home roads and will no doubt use that to his advantage. There is actually a fourth XTERRA athlete racing, Solenne Billouin, on the women’s side who has also decided to move onto the road.

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