Over the past 18 months, we’ve almost certainly written as many ‘Alistair Brownlee is out’ stories, as we have race reports featuring the double Olympic Games gold medallist. It was thus a welcome sight on Sunday – and hopefully again this coming Saturday – to see the Brit racing at Challenge Barcelona.
The Netherlands’ Youri Keulen topped the podium by pulling clear in the late stages of the run, but after so many injury struggles, this was a more than solid return to racing action, with some top tier competition trailing, Alistair himself was pretty satisfied with his effort, and looking forward to racing this weekend at Challenge Peguera-Mallorca.
Another athlete who has had her share of injuries in recent years, Imogen Simmonds, continued her fine run of form – which included bronze at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship – to be a clear winner for the Pro Women on Spain.
Following up on that report from the weekend – and with great thanks to regular contributor José Luis Hourcade (www.joseluishourcade.com) – we can now bring you the story of the race in pictures too.
Advertisement
Challenge Barcelona 2023 gallery
Alistair Brownlee checks out the swim courseThe Pro Men hit the waterThe Pro Women followed soon afterWilhelm Hirsch lead the way through the swimAaron Royle and Alistair Brownlee were just seconds behindEventual winner, Youri Keulen, was 14 seconds behind Alistair exiting the waterNo surprise to see Lucy Buckingham and Sara Perez Sala leading the way in the water for the Pro WomenYouri Keulen heading the lead pack in the early stagesBarcelona viewsCameron Wurf on the way to 18thOlivia Mitchell racing hard to get back towards the front of the raceBrownlee did plenty of work in the lead groupBuckingham leading the waySara Perez Sala had to withdrew during the bike leg with illnessSecond at The Championship, Germany’s Caroline Pohle added another podium to her C.V.Plenty of history around this courseImogen Simmonds continued her fine run of formBarcelona’s iconic La Sagrada FamiliaA small lead group reached T2 togetherAlistair Brownlee took the lead early in the runKeulen always had the British legend in his sightsHirsch proved to be strong across all disciplinesOlivia Mitchell ran her way to fourth positionA Simmonds win was never in doubt on the runKeulen and Brownlee would battle into the final couple of kilometresNo stopping Youri Keulen in the final stagesThe Men’s Challenge Barcelona 2023 podiumImogen Simmonds extended her winning margin to almost three minutesSimmonds, Buckingham and Pohle were the Pro Women’s podium trio
TRI247's Chief Correspondent, John has been involved in triathlon for well over 30 years, 15 of those writing on these pages, whilst he can also be found commentating for events across the UK.
Discover more
Go behind the scenes at Challenge Roth with the latest episode of the TRI247 podcast
The triathlon cycling shoe that promises a 10-watt saving: Cadomotus Chronos Aero triathlon cycling shoes review
Five things you need to know about the Challenge Roth bike course
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
latest News
British Olympic legend Georgia Taylor-Brown to make triathlon return
‘Unbreakable’ Gwen Jorgensen ‘bruised’ after bike crash but vows to bounce back
IRONMAN announce new age-group qualification system for Kona and 70.3 Worlds
IRONMAN’s new age-group system for Kona – all the big questions answered
Challenge Roth 2025: German star goes into the unknown in iconic triathlon showdown
Barkley marathons
Follow the madness of the 'Race that eats its young' on RUN247
Shop with
Our premium marketplace for boutique endurance sports brands
