The second edition of Challenge Cesenatico saw over 1,000 athletes and 32 nations take on the middle-distance course along Italy’s Adriatic Coast. It was Alessio Crociani (ITA) and Gabriella Zelinka (HUN) who claimed victory, finishing in 3:36:15 and 4:07:59, respectively.
With calm seas and clear skies, the day provided ideal conditions for racing across a 1.9km coastal swim, a 90km bike through the Romagna hills, and a 21.1km flat, multi-lap run finishing in Levante Park.
The men’s race began with a tightly contested swim pack, with Crociani leading out of the water in 21:43, closely followed by Magnus Männer (GER). Just over a minute behind, a strong chase group, including Louis Woodgate (GRE), Ognjen Stojanovic (SRB), and Gábor Faldum (HUN), exited together. On the bike, Männer took the early lead before being caught by the chasers. Woodgate then made a decisive move on the hills near Cesena and pulled away from the group, opening a gap of more than five minutes by the end of the bike leg. He entered T2 in 2:00:44 with a clear lead. However, Crociani, cheered on by a home crowd, began to close the gap early in the run. With 10 km to go, he had reduced the deficit to two minutes. By the final laps, he had overtaken Woodgate and surged to the front, eventually crossing the line with a strong final push. Stojanovic finished second in 3:37:40, while Matthieu Bolzer (FRA) secured third place after a tight finish in 3:37:51.
In the women’s race, Julie Iemmolo (FRA) exited the swim first in 25:37, building a 45-second lead over Margareta Bicanova (SVK). On the bike, Iemmolo extended her lead, riding solo into T2 in 2:21:54. A chase group featuring Gabriella Zelinka, Lisa-Maria Dornauer (AUT), and Eloise Du Luart (FRA) followed about two minutes behind. Zelinka gradually closed the gap during the run, overtaking Iemmolo in the final laps. She maintained her pace to the finish, securing the win and continuing a strong season. Iemmolo held on for second place in 4:09:42, while Rhianne Hughes (GBR) completed the podium in third place with a time of 4:10:19.