A record-breaking win for Caroline Pohle (GER) and convincing win by Frederic Funk (GER) marked an exciting day’s racing at the sold-out Challenge St Pölten. Pohle not only set a new course record in 4:14:17 but also smashed the bike course record in 2:20:05.
The pro women started the day 20 minutes ahead of the pro men and Pohle quickly took control in the swim, exiting the water in 27:00. Right on her heels were Lilli Gelmini (ITA), Juliette Lucet (FRA) and Luisa Iogna-Prat (ITA) but with a fast transition, Pohle started the ride with a 14 second lead and from that moment on she was untouchable. By 60km she was 5:30 ahead of the chasers and she eventually came into T2, 5:41 ahead of her nearest rivals with a new bike course. She smashed the previous record by a massive 4:02, setting a new standard in 2:20:05.
Behind her was where the battle was happening, for the first half of the bike it was Lucet, Abigail Bedwell (GBR) and Iogna-Prat playing catch up. But behind them Diede Diederiks (NED) and Sarah Schönfelder (GER) were riding up the field and as they hit the second big climb moved into second and third respectively. Diederiks entered T2 in second nearly a minute ahead of Schönfelder.
At Challenge St Pölten, the pro women start 20 minutes before the pro men and notably, this was the first time in the race’s history that a woman came into T2 first off the bike. It took until 5km on the run before men’s leader, Frederic Funk (GER), was able to catch Pohle. Pohle continued to be super strong on the run, extending her lead over chaser Diederiks who in turn pulled away from Schönfelder who was sitting in third. Pohle crossed the line with a new course record of 4:14:17, making it three wins from three races following last week’s victory at The Championship and her win at Challenge Mogán-Gran Canaria in April. While Diederiks secured second, crossing the line in 4:21:30, everything changed in the final kilometre for third. Finland’s Minttu Hukka had been working her way up the field and took the final place on the podium in 4:26:57, just seconds ahead of Schönfelder.
“I’m really, really proud of today,” said Pohle. “It was a really tough week after my win in Šamorin so I’m really proud of today. It was a hard day as I was alone the whole time and my body didn’t work so well but I found my rhythm on the bike and had a good run. A win is never sure and it’s always hard work. I had a bad swim for me and on the bike I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted but I had really good legs on the run and now all eyes are on Challenge Roth!”
In the men’s race, Hannes Butters (GER) took an early lead in the swim, as expected, exiting the water in 23:26 with a nearly two-minute lead. It took until 55km until Funk caught him, bringing Josh Lewis (GBR), Simon Davis (GBR) and Jonas Wechsler (GER) with him. As they hit the second of the three big climbs on course, Davis powered up into the lead, putting 38 seconds into Funk by the top. It was at this point that the men started catching the lead pro women. It then became the battle of the sexes – could the lead male catch Pohle before T2? The answer was no! In the final stages on the bike Funk retook the lead but Davis, Butters, Lewis and Wechsler all stayed with him, riding within the Challenge Family 20m drafting rule parameters, monitored by Race Ranger. Funk continued to try and put time between himself and the chasers but they were tenacious!
Funk came into T2 in first but Butters and Wechsler were hot on his heels and Butters went out on the run first. Within a kilometre Funk and Wechsler broke away, dropping Butters. While Wechsler proved determined, Funk slowly extended his lead. By the halfway point it was 37 seconds but the race was by no means secure. Davis overtook Wechsler into second but as with the women, the real battle was for third, ultimately won by Mattia Ceccarelli (ITA) in the final metres with just seven seconds separating him, fourth place Wechsler and fifth place Ondrej Kubo (SVK). Davis secured second in 3:50:35 with Cecccarelli in third in 3:52:20. Funk took the win in 3:49:11, his second at Challenge St Pölten where he had his first ever pro win back in 2021.
“I’m a bit tired, but super happy and relieved,” said Funk on the finish line. “It was definitely my goal for this race and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel after racing last week at The Championship and coming down from altitude. I felt super strong from the beginning, I finally had a good swim and had really good legs on the bike and pushed hard. On the run I just wanted to put pressure on the others early on. I was glad it wasn’t any closer as conditions on the second lap were tough with the heat and the wind! But I was happy to enjoy the last kilometre with the amazing crowds here at Challenge St Pölten and super happy with finally earning a win again. It’s a really good confidence booster going into the next training block for Roth.”
