Summer temperatures are soaring, and the racing action is getting hotter by the weekend. Here’s what’s on tap for July 20:

Last Saturday saw the kick-off of the big-dollar Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series in Minneapolis, with Canadian Simon Whitfield and Aussie Emma Snowsill taking the $60,000 first-place prizes. Now the race to the Toyato Cup continues with Sunday’s Nautica New York City Triathlon.

While Snowsill has jetted home to her native Australia to rest up for Beijing, Whitfield will toe the Big Apple start line in hopes of going two for two at Life Time events. Joining the 2000 Olympic gold medalist Sunday will be his Canadian Olympic teammates Colin Jenkins and Paul Tichelaar, last weekend’s runner-up Andy Potts and surprise Life Time fourth-place finisher Stuart Hayes of Great Britain. For the women, Ironman 70.3 world champion Mirinda Carfrae of Australia, Life Time third-place finisher Becky Lavelle, New York resident and short-course star Rebeccah Wassner and recent Ironman 70.3 titlist Mary Beth Ellis should compete for the podium.

In other Olympic-distance action, the final World Cup before Beijing shakes down in Kitzbühel, Austria. The Kitzbühel BG Triathlon World Cup boasts a strong international field including current world No.1 Felicity Abram and her Aussie Olympic teammate Erin Densham, Kiwi Olympians Samantha Warriner and Andrea Hewitt, Swiss star Nicola Spirig and Beijing-bound German Christiane Pilz. In the men’s race, look for top New Zealanders Bevan Docherty and Kris Gemmell to do some damage, along with Spaniard Ivan Rana, Great Britain’s Alistair Brownlee and Switzerland’s Reto Hug.

Triathlon mecca Boulder, Colorado, will see its share of heated pre-Olympic competition as well, with the 17th annual Boulder Peak Triathlon. This 5430 Sports classic has lured Olympian Matt Reed, back to defend his 2007 Peak title, and five-time International Triathlon Union world champion Simon Lessing, who won the Boulder race in 2006. Three-time ITU world champ Peter Robertson of Australia will wrestle Reed and Lessing for top honors, and expect last weekend’s Musselman ITU Pan American Cup winner Brian Fleischmann and XTERRA stud Seth Wealing to spice up the action.

Six of the top 10 female finishers will be on hand Sunday, along with 2005 champ Amanda Lovato. XTERRA star Jenny Smith will also be in the mix.

Bumping up in distance, we have the popular Vineman Ironman 70.3 in Northern California. Looking to repeat as women's champion will be Canadian star Sam McGlone, who will have to stave off the versatile Joanna Zeiger, three-time XTERRA world champion Melanie McQuaid and Ironman superbiker Tyler Stewart. The men's side is stacked, with reigning Vineman champ Craig Alexander, Kiwi stud Terenzo Bozzone, three-time Ironman champ Chris Lieto, the formiddable Chris Legh, TJ Tollakson, Paul Ambrose and Paul Amey all rearing to go Sunday.

Ford Ironman USA Lake Placid will crown a new champion this year. Expect Swedish superbiker Bjorn Andersson, 2007 Ironman Florida runner-up Sergio Marques of Portugal and Texan swim specialist James Bonney to fight for the men’s USA title and iron-glutton Hillary Biscay, Ironman 70.3 Boise runner-up Desiree Ficker and longtime Ironman racer Kim Loeffler to podium in the women’s contest.