Daniela Ryf: Early season start in the USA

Daniela Ryf, four-time Ironman World Champion, has announced an early start to the season at the Ironman 70.3 Oceanside in the United States.

The race, which will be held on April 6, is an early test of fitness for the world champion. "It's only a status report," says Daniela Ryf before her season start in Oceanside, California, on April 6. It has been almost a decade since Daniela raced in California and she returns with fond memories. The race was selected due to it's technicality and difficulty. "The track is very demanding and technically interesting. There's some great athletes taking part, such as Holly Lawrence, the 70.3 World Champion of 2016, so the racing will be exciting. "My USA fans have been asking when I will return so I'm really pleased to surprise them that I will be back this month!," says Daniela.

The athlete's expectations for 2018, however, are reasonable. "The race is so early in the season that the objective is to get some insight into my fitness level," she said. At this stage of the season, Daniela is less focused on the outcome in California and more focused on her build up, which has been progressing well after two training blocks in Gran Canaria.

After starting the season in California, Daniela will stay in Santa Monica to train for two weeks. Oceanside is also less than an hour's drive from Irvine, the headquarters of Ryfs bike sponsor Felt. This is a great way to combine participation in the race with a visit to her bike sponsor of more than 10 years.

On April 27, Ryf will also take part in the North American Championships in Texas. "I've always wanted to run an Ironman in Texas," says the 31-year-old from Solothurn.

Daniela's season is so far confirmed as:

• June 2nd: Ironman 70.3 , Rapperswil-Jona
• July 7th: Ironman Austria, Klagenfurt (AUT)
• September 7th: Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Nice (FRA)
• October 12th: Ironman World Championship Hawaii in Kona