Max Neumann returns to the Ibiza T100 with modest expectations despite his defending champion status.

Neumann, 29, described his victory on the Balearic Islands last year as the biggest win of his career but progress since then has been hampered by a sacral stress fracture which required three months on the sidelines.

The Aussie finished 19th on his return to the T100 scene in July and says this Saturday’s race will form another stepping stone in his recovery.

“I’m feeling a little bit better than London, it’s good to be back here, it’s such a nice spot. I’m just going to enjoy myself and hopefully get a better result than last time,” he said.

“When we flew in I had that feeling of familiarity and this is the race that kickstarted everything for me. It was easily the biggest result of my career. Unfortunately after that I had a bad injury so I haven’t been able to race too much but it’s such a special race and will always be close to my heart.

“We’re slowly building back and hopefully over the next couple of years we can build on that result and come back with vengeance.

“I think by Dubai I should be in a position where I’ll be more competitive but I’m still at the phase where I’m getting back into racing and getting a bit of confidence and working on my run, the run has been the thing I’ve had issue with through the injury so hopefully when that’s sorted we can work on all three and piece things together.

“By Dubai I want to have an all-round race where I’m happy with all three legs. Until then, I think I’ll use Vegas as a stepping stone and hopefully by mid-November I’ll have a few more runs under my belt and battle it out for the top five.”

The main talk ahead of this week’s race concerns modifications to the bike course, with two loops through the rolling countryside to Santa Eularia replacing an out-and-back on a motorway as in 2023.

“The bike course is harder than last year,” said Neumann.

“There’s some long straights and you can easily disappear so if someone attacks the bike course with some gusto, they can easily put a couple of minutes into people without a problem.

“I think the front group will be pretty small and it will split up pretty quick. It looks like it will be pretty warm and I think it will be a super interesting race for the men and women.”

Watch the Ibiza T100 Triathlon races live in Europe on Eurosport 2. Broadcast for the men is from 0745 UK, with the race starting at 0800 and then the women dive in at 1030. Both Ibiza T100 races and behind-the-scenes content can be watched live and for free on PTO+ from anywhere.