Who will be enjoying the sunset after the Mixed Team qualification event in Huatulco.

The Mixed relay qualification event has 9 teams currently on the start list. For 3 of the teams the result does not have any significance other than desire to do well, but for 6 of them it could be the difference between having a relay team in Paris or not as they fight to secure a place as one of the top 2 eligible nations in the race and the 2 men’s and 2 women’s slots in the Olympics that come with that result.

Spain and Mexico are secure in their positions, while Ecuador are out of the running to qualify a team. While Ecuador cannot impact the qualification of other countries, a Top 2 placing for either Spain or Mexico takes away a potential slot from one of the other teams.

Austria would appear secure also but will still be nervous about results elsewhere and have a real incentive to race hard. Tjebbe Kaindl holds one of the last slots on the individual ranking, 200 points clear of his competitors, and it would take some unexpected performances from others over the last 2 weekends for Austria to lose its current 2+2.

The real fun will be with the other 5 teams, all with a history of good relay results. These are the teams who will no doubt be under the most pressure and with the most to gain.

Norway currently hold 2+1 slots and need a top 2 not only to gain the extra slot but to secure the place Solveig Lovseth holds on the individual women's rankings. She is only 90 points clear and could be overtaken by a number of athletes. Norway took the decision to substitute Lotte Miller into her position on the waiting list for the final event in Cagliari in a week's time so if Huatulco doesn't go well there may be no opportunity to recover. 

Canada also goes in with 2+1 and with Dominika Jamnicky 200 points behind the final slot in the individual rankings this is probably their best shot. Jamnicky has had a top 5 in the Huatulco individual race in the past so there will be an opportunity there but they will want to get the job done in the relay.

Hungary, 3+1, and South Africa, 2+1, have no chance to get a relay team any other way than through this race. Their next athletes are too far off in the individual rankings.

Finally the Netherlands are probably the most interesting as they go into the race not only because they have 2 women and 1 man currently holding slot but their next man is not yet eligible to compete in Paris as he, Mitch Kolkman, is lying outside the Top 140 in the Olympic ranking. Even if they score the top 2 in the relay he will then have to  gain enough points in the Individual race to move up from his current position at 146. The Netherlands have 4 men entered in the Individual race so they certainly have the power to put him in position off the bike to gain the 30 points he will need. 

With such a small field and the pressure on teams to deliver in the chaos of a relay it is perhaps surprising that other Countries are not racing who either have eligible athletes or are very close.

China with only 1 slot in Paris would have the most to gain from Huatulco. They have their 2nd place man only 70 points out of eligibility. While it would have taken a big result in the individual race for Nanhe Wang there are spare entries available and while a Top 20 result doesn't seem likely, the opportunity to go from 1 in Paris to 4 starters would seem worth a try if their selection process allows. 

Japan and Luxembourg both have the athletes eligible for Paris but neither are taking a shot here. Luxembourg may lack the depth in their resources to mount a challenge but Japan’s decision does seem odd. They certainly have the athletes to send a team while Yuka Sato competes in Uzbekistan and Italy chasing a place in the individual rankings.  

The final decision may well come down to who can keep calm and execute the best race possible.

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