Lucy Buckingham finished third at The Championship last Sunday, Grace Thek finished outside the podium, but both women currently have something in common: they both hope to have recovered sufficiently and be strong at Challenge St. Pölten next Sunday. Buckingham and Thek are considered favorites for the race but still need some recovery.
Both women just said this during the press conference before the race in Austria. “It was a tough race at The Championship,” Buckingham just said. “For now I’m excited to race Challenge St. Pölten. I was supposed to race last year, but due to COVID I wasn’t able to travel. This is my first time racing here. I prefer the climbs; I think it’s challenging and keeps you focussed. I hear the climb at 60km is very challenging so I’m really looking forward to. I’m recovered for about 85 procent, so a little bit more recovery is needed.”
Also Grace Thek is looking forward to the race. “This area is amazing. It’s really beautiful. I arrived her earlier this week and got the opportunity to look at the bike course already and I can’t wait to be out there. I hope I’m ready to go for Sunday and I feel pretty good, but it’s my third race in three weeks so we’ll see if the legs are ready to party this Sunday.”
