Posted: April 13, 2007

Triathlon: Challenge France to debut in May 2008

The second race to be licensed by TEAMChallenge, organisers of the popular Quelle Challenge Roth, will be a half distance race near Strasbourg, France, on Sunday, May 25, 2008. Challenge France will be set in the town of Niederbronn-les-Bains, 45 kilometres north of Strasbourg and the center of the renowned nature park of the northern Vosges region. Race weekend will also include an expo and a kids triathlon on Saturday. The swim will be one 1.9km lap of Moutherouse Lake, which is19km from Niederbronn-les-Bains. The slightly hilly, two-lap, 90km bike will be staged on the roads through the nature park of the northern Vosges. And the closing 21km run will take place over two challenging loops on forest roads and trails. Scheduled about five weeks out from the iron-distance Quelle Challenge Roth just over the border in Germany, the race will serve as a perfect hit-out for athletes preparing for that event. And the location is convenient for German and French athletes alike, as Niederbronn-les-Bains is only 20 minutes by car from the border. As Roth race director Felix Walchshöfer notes, Challenge France race director Guy Hemmerlin’s work as the liaison for French athletes racing in Roth has resulted in large numbers of French athletes taking part in the storied German event. “Triathlon in France is a mega-trend, and the Quelle Challenge Roth last year had more than 500 French participants—by far the largest group of international athletes,” he said. Organisers are expecting 1200 athletes, racing as individuals and teams, on the start line. Registration will open on May 25, 2007 via the race website at www.challenge-france.com. Entry fees will be 95 euro for individuals and 165 euro for teams. Quelle Challenge Roth’s sponsors include: Quelle AG, Deutsche Post AG, N-ERGIE, PRO4, Newline, Nürnberger Nachrichten (Nürnberg Newspapers), Bayrische Versicherungskammer, Erdinger Alkoholfrei, Sparkasse Mittelfranken-Süd, Arndt, Mavic, County of Roth, City of Roth, City of Hilpoltstein, Coca-Cola, Frankenbrunnen, Zeus Copy, Paladin, Hofmann, Jura Kaelte, Guttenberger & Partner, and Spedition Heinloth.