Longer distance

Triathlete Pertl ventures into new territory

Philip Pertl is considered a good cyclist.

(Bild: Julienne Speckle)

A longer distance, more success in the long term. That is what Philip Pertl is hoping for from his foray into another race series. If he performs well, a national championship title could even be on the cards. The new training stimuli should also help in the short-distance World Cup.

New distance, new hope? Triathlete Philip Pertl is at least giving it a try. The athlete from Gastein is venturing into new territory and competing in the "St. Pölten Challenge", a half ironman. Pertl is only used to the short distance, but now the current third-best Austrian in the World Cup rankings wants to take on the middle distance. "I think that could suit me in the future," says the triathlete, who is known as a good cyclist. Because the 90-kilometre spoke spectacle in St. Pölten is particularly unusual: you have to keep 20 meters distance from the person in front - slipstreaming is forbidden! When overtaking, you have to keep a distance of 1.5 meters to the side, and you only have 45 seconds.

"Your own performance is more important. That suits me," says the 25-year-old happily. The national championship title is also possible in St. Pölten. You can also qualify for major events such as the World Championships and European Championships at this race distance via a half-ironman.

Together with coach Lukas Hollaus, he also wants to set a different training stimulus. "This is a great basis for the short distance season!" Pertl recently celebrated a sense of achievement in the latter. He took a strong second place at the Continental Cup in South Africa. "I'm really happy at the moment," beams the Pongau native, even though he will be back on the hunt for criminals in mid-May - five weeks of police training await him.