This weekend Horst aan de Maas in the Netherlands will for the sixth time play host to the world's best duathletes. The race hosts both the Powerman European Championship and the Dutch and Luxembourg Long Distance Duathlon Championship events.

Powerman Holland is without doubt a 'Classic' in the run-bike-run sport of Duathlon. Big names like Rob Barel, Irma Heeren, Jonathan Hall, Huub Maas, Edwige Pitel, Michelle Lee, Bennie Vansteelant, Erika Csömör, Yvonne van Vlerken, Anthony Le Duey and Joerie Vansteelant have all won Powerman Holland in prior years.

2011 Powerman European Championships

It seems that the participants list is stronger by the year.

Male: Joerie Vansteelant (BEL) wants the Powerman European Championships title back, since the Frenchman Anthony Le Duey crossed the finish line first in 2010. Both men will dream of a new European Championship title but will be up against strong competition with almost all of the world's top-10 ranked Powerman athletes lined up against them.

Soren Bystrup (DEN), Matt Moorhouse (GBR), Jochem Neyrink (BEL), Esben Kaszmarek (DEN) are all present. An outsider may be the Belgian Pieter Rijnders, in recent years he won many short distance Duathlon races and will start this year for the first time at the European Championship Long Distance.

Female: In the women's field, again there is a top class list of contenders.

Camilla Lindholm (SWE) will defend her 2010 title, but Powerman ambassador Heleen by de Vaate and Maud Golsteijn, two Dutch -Limburg top athletes, who finished last yearin third and fourth place will certainly give her a hard time.

Also on the start-list: Jacqueline Uebelhart (SUI), Susanne Nielsen (DEN), Ulrike Schwalbe (GER) and Maja Jacober (SUI)

2011 Dutch National Championship Long Distance Duathlon

Wim Nieuwkerk won the National Championship Duathlon LD Horst in 2010 but will possibly have to fight even harder this year to beat his rival Armand van der Smissen. Armand van der Smissen knows how to surprise us, again and again, with amazing performances at the right time. Michel van de Wall, now with a year more experience will certainly go for a podium finish at the Nationals.

The start of the race is Sunday, April 17 at 09:00. The expected finish of the winner is around 12:00 in the center of Horst aan de Maas. Overall prize purse $10,000.

Besides the European Championships Duathlon Powerman Holland there are several other weekend activities. Saturday starts with the Horster Night Run, a popular run in Horst. Sunday afternoon, after full Powerman is a 1/3 Powerman and Power Kids race. Throughout the weekend organisers are expecting about 1,000 participants and thousands of spectators. Start and finish of all races are in the front of the Mayors house.

More information: www.powerman.nl