With a start list of over 40 professional athletes at Lotto Challenge Gdańsk, some exciting racing is guaranteed for the Polish middle distance race this Sunday. Biggest favorite seems to be Dutch Menno Koolhaas, who won a big national Middle Distance race two weeks ago and last weekend took victory at Challenge Geraardsbergen as well.
Also doing back-to-back races are more Geraardsbergen athletes, runner-up Ognjen Stojanović (SRB) and Antony Costes (FRA) as well as Nicholas Free (AUS) who place second in Challenge Cagnes-sur-Mer. They are joined by local athlete Kacper Stępniak who also celebrated a victory last weekend at Warsaw 70.3.
In the women’s field, Anne Reischmann (GER) also raced last weekend, taking out third at Switzerland 70.3. If she wants to move up the podium, she will have fellow German, Daniela Kleiser to contend with who recently got second at Challenge St Pölten and Megan McDonald (GBR) who opened her season with a third at Challenge Gran-Canaria.
Lotto Challenge Gdańsk starts on the beach with a swim in the Baltic Sea followed by the fast flat bike taking in both Energa Stadion, the arena of EURO 2012 and through the tunnel that goes under the Vistula River. The run takes athletes alongside the beautiful Gdańsk Beach to the finisher zone on the Gdańsk Pier. Now in its third year, Challenge Gdańsk took out Best Challenge Family Race in its inaugural year, and Best Finisher Zone in 2022 as voted by the athletes in the Challenge Family Awards.
