Lucy Gossage, Pablo Dapena win Challenge Peguera Mallorca

2014 saw the debut of Challenge Peguera Mallorca when it hosted the ETU Middle Distance European Championships. A cracking race in a fantastic venue, it has rightly been very popular ever since and another big field lined up today. If you are considering an end-of-season overseas trip next year, it comes highly recommended.

Pro Women: Lucy Gossage wins again

If (?!) 2018 is to be the final ‘Pro’ season for Great Britain’s Duracell Bunny, Lucy Gossage, then she is seemingly going to go out in style and with a huge smile on her face. Could there be a better way to go?

Wins at IRONMAN Lanzarote, UK and Wales and another at IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote recently, were added to today with a clear win at Challenge Peguera Mallorca. Lucy seems to excel on challenging, tough courses which will facilitate fair and individual racing – and I said to her earlier this week, she would find Peguera a perfect race for her. That would appear to have proven correct; “It was a super fun race. Probably one of my favourites actually.”

As you (and she…) would expect, Lucy was not leading the way out of the swim today – that was another Brit, Fenella Langridge in 26:47. Fenella has picked up a string of podium results in her debut Pro year, including victory at IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh. Lucy exited the water in eighth position (30:13), pretty much as you would expect in terms of deficit, ready to start her charge to the front on dry land.

By the 60km mark, the two Brits were alone at the front, a minute clear of Ewa Kommander (POL) with Germany’s Lena Berlinger a further minute back in fourth. The Gossage charge continued, and at T2 she was two minutes clear of Kommander, with Langridge now 30 seconds further back in third. Given Lucy’s consistency on the run, little chance of being caught over the half marathon?

That would prove correct and the Brit would take the tape more than four minutes clear of Germany’s Berlinger, who ran through to second place with with Katrien Verstuyft (BEL) completing the podium in third, that pairing having both overtaken Kommander and Langridge.

https://twitter.com/EsportsIB3/status/1053624426208681984

Pro Men: Home success for Pablo Dapena Gonzalez

2018 really has been a breakthrough year for Spain’s Pablo Dapena Gonzalez. Since winning the early season Challenge Gran Canaria (ahead of IRONMAN World Champion Patrick Lange), he has picked up a string of victories and podiums, including the Gold medal at the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in Fyn, Denmark.

In the mix to win the top prize in the Challenge Family Bonus Rankings, another victory will strengthen his chances of collecting the $30,000 top prize.

A group of nine athletes exited the water together, with Dapena Gonzalez, ITU regular Fernando Alarza (ESP) and Great Britain’s Thomas Davis among them. Alarza’s race would come to end soon after… due to a broken foot. Ouch.

Uffff se confirma, fractura del 5° meta al poco de comenzar la prueba. Será la única forma de tomarme el descanso enserio 😉 pic.twitter.com/SsLv4Q0js6

— Fernando Alarza (@Fernando_Alarza) October 20, 2018

Daniel Bækkegård (DEN) set the pace on the bike, reaching T2 1:45 clear of Manuel Küng (SUI) with Dapena Gonzalez in third, a further 48 seconds back, before a four minute gap to the next group of four, including Thomas Davis.

The Spanish athlete has been superb on the run all year and by the halfway mark had close the gap to the Dane before pulling away for a clear win.

Pablo Dapena campeón de @chpeguera!!!! 🏆🏆 Enhorabuena!! 💪🏼💪🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/4boX2d6X0q

— 226ERS (@226ERS) October 20, 2018

Challenge Peguera Mallorca, Saturday 20th October 2018
1.9km / 90km / 21.1km

PRO MEN

1st – Pablo Dapena Gonzalez (ESP) – 3:54:08
2nd – Manuel Küng (SUI) – 3:56:09
3rd – Jaroslav Kovacic (SLO) – 4:00:19
4th – Daniel Bækkegård (DEN) – 4:01:00
5th – Thomas Davis (GBR) – 4:02:04

PRO WOMEN

1st – Lucy Gossage (GBR) – 4:26:57
2nd – Lena Berlinger (GER) – 4:31:15
3rd – Katrien Verstuyft (BEL) – 4:33:17
4th – Ewa Kommander (POL) – 4:34:29
5th – Fenella LangrIdge (GBR) – 4:35:43

And here the female podium at #CHMallorca!! CONGRATS!!

🥇Lucy Gossage (GBR) 04:265:57
🥈Lena Berlinger (DEU) 04:31:15
🥉Katrien Verstuyft (BEL) 04:33:17@Challenge_Famil @_Calvia pic.twitter.com/pzzaDFfQEx

— Triathlon Challenge Mallorca (@chpeguera) October 20, 2018