South Africa’s Jamie Riddle was untouchable at Challenge Barcelona, producing a commanding performance to take an almost wire-to-wire victory, while Switzerland’s Cathia Schär continued her incredible late-season form to claim her second win in as many weeks.
Riddle, who has shown flashes of brilliance all year, put together one of his most complete Middle Distance performances to date. Early on the bike, he found himself alongside Michele Bortolamedi and Hannes Butters, but the trio’s fragile truce didn’t last long. Around 30 kilometers into the ride, Riddle surged clear with trademark aggression, quickly opening a decisive gap. From that moment, the race was effectively over for the men’s field – although nobody knew that at that point yet.
Behind Riddle, Bortolamedi and Butters did their best to limit losses, but disaster struck when Bortolamedi punctured with just 10 kilometers remaining, forcing the Italian out of the race. Riddle, meanwhile, powered ahead unchallenged and continued to extend his lead on the run, sealing a dominant win in 3:36:39.
The battle for the remaining podium spots came down to the wire. Spain’s Carlos Oliver produced a late surge to snatch second in 3:41:45, with Austria’s Martin Demuth close behind in 3:41:53. Former pro cyclist Ruben Zepuntke (GER) had to settle for fourth in 3:42:41 after fading slightly in the closing kilometers.
Text continues below pictureIn the women’s race, Cathia Schär confirmed her breakout status with another brilliant performance. Just a week after taking her maiden Middle Distance victory at Challenge Peguera-Mallorca, the Swiss star doubled up in Barcelona – and she did it the hard way.
After a strong swim, Schär endured a chaotic bike leg that saw her crash and lose her nutrition bottles, while Britain’s Sophia Green pushed the pace at the front. Undeterred, Schär regrouped and kept herself within striking distance, starting the half marathon a few minutes down but clearly in contention.
Once on the run, Schär unleashed her now-signature pace, slicing through the deficit with ease. It didn’t take long before she swept past Green to take the lead and never looked back, crossing the line in 4:07:29 for a commanding back-to-back win. Green finished second in 4:09:54, while Italy’s Marta Bernardi completed the podium in 4:12:59.