The Sanremo Challenge attracts 48 international professional players

September 19, 2022

September 19, 2022 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – With only a few races so far this year due to injury, Pablo Dapena González (ESP) lines up fit and ready to race next Sunday, September 25, as the top seed in the first edition of the Challenge Sanremo on the Italian Riviera. Among the women, most eyes are likely to be on Lucy Byram (GBR). Both will face fierce competition from a 48-strong international professional field in what promises to be a thrilling race on this challenging and honest new course.

Dapena González can look back on a good summer, including winning the Lotto Challenge Gdansk at the end of June. This victory in Poland undoubtedly gives him a lot of confidence ahead of the Sanremo Challenge, where he will face competitors like the highly ranked William Mennesson (FRA), as well as Florin Salvisberg (SUI), Thomas Bishop (GBR), Michael Raelert ( GER), Gregory Barnaby (ITA), Alessandro Degasperi (ITA) and Mattia Ceccarelli (ITA) who will all have their eyes on the top spot on the podium. The bottom three athletes enjoy home-court advantage with strong crowd support pushing them forward.

Like Dapena González, Lucy Byram can also look back on a good summer with her victory in the first Challenge Wales. With this knowledge, Byram will again want to do everything in her power to be the fastest in Sanremo and knows that is certainly possible. Much like the men’s race, the women’s pro peloton is deep and anything can happen in a day. Most competitors will come from Aleksandra Jedrzejewska (POL), Emma Bilham (SUI), Nina Derron (SUI) and Lena Berlinger (GER) among others.

The Challenge Sanremo swimming takes place from the beautiful beach of Bagni Paradiso and consists of a 1.9 km lap. During the unique 90 km bike tour, more than 1,500 meters of elevation will be climbed, including a section with a 10% gradient and the superb descent that is part of the famous Milano-Sanremo cycling race. By comparison, the race is flat along the seafront with three laps before finishing in the heart of Sanremo on the shores of the Mediterranean.

The Sanremo Challenge will take place on September 25 with the pro race starting at 8:20 am CEST. Live updates including live stream (Italian and English), live timing and live race updates are available via www.challenge-family.live.

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