Following last year’s cancellation due to COVID, Challenge Budva-Montenegro is set for Sunday 10 October 2021, with a strong field of elite athletes ready to compete against each other in Montenegro.
The first edition of Challenge Budva-Montenegro will provide a scenic background to all the race action. Athletes will swim in the crystal blue Adriatic Sea, bike through the historic streets of the ancient town of Budva, and along the Montenegro coast. The run takes place along the Budva seafront, with its Mediterranean atmosphere.
On Saturday 9 October there are several side events, including a 5km run and a kids race. For the main race, on Sunday 10 October, the pro men will start at 07:00 CEST. The pro women will follow at 07:05 – with age groupers under way at 07:10.
From Nils Frommhold (DEU) and Magnus Ditlev (DEN) to Patrick Lange (DEU), recently the winner of DATEV Challenge Roth, a number of pro male athletes have an eye on the inaugural win at Challenge Budva-Montenegro. There will also be competition from the likes of Ruedi Wild (SUI), Mattia Ceccarelli (ITA) and Ognjen Stojanovic (SER) plus a number of others who could deliver a surprise on the day.
In the women’s race, a battle is expected between Els Visser (NED) and Lucy Hall (GBR). Last weekend these two athletes finished second and third respectively at Challenge Salou, which was won by Lisa Norden. They will also have to take into account other strong pro women athletes at Challenge Budva-Montenegro such as Swiss athletes Emma Bilham and Melanie Baumann.
Budva is a medieval city, more than 2,500 years old, making it one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast. It’s located in the central part of the Montenegrin coast and it is the centre of Montenegro tourism. The area surrounding Budva is called the Budva Riviera. Part of Budva Riviera also includes smaller tourist towns such as Bečići, Sveti Stefan and Petrovac.
