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Home / News / Joyce and Cunnama take Challenge Roth

Joyce and Cunnama take Challenge Roth

Britain’s Rachel Joyce crowned ETU European Champion while laying down a marker for Kona

Rachel Joyce has won Challenge Roth in 8:45:04 ahead of Germany’s Sonja Tajsich and last year’s second place finisher Julia Gajer.

The Brit also won the title of Official ETU Long Distance Triathlon European Champion. Joyce dominated the race from the beginning. She was the second woman out of the water, took the lead during the first kilometers on the bike and defended it all the way to the finish line.

The result sees Joyce lay down a marker for Ironman World Championships, having finished 6th, 5th and 4th in Kona for the past three seasons.

In the men’s race, South Africa’s James Cunnama won in 7:59:59 ahead of Germany’s Timo Bracht who secured the title of ETU Long Distance Triathlon European Champion. Third place went to Mike Aigroz from Switzerland, while another top Brit performance saw Stephen Bayliss finish fifth behind Cameron Brown from New Zealand.

Cunnama already explained during the press conference on Thursday that he had unfinished business in Roth after he DNFed last year. “This is an iconic race, you hear about it, you dream about it. You read the names of the big ones that win and now I’m standing here. I am extremely happy!”

For more from Rachel Joyce, see ‘Train like an Elite’ in the current issue of 220.

Images: Getty

Profile image of Matt Baird Matt Baird Editor of Cycling Plus magazine

About

Matt is a regular contributor to 220 Triathlon, having joined the magazine in 2008. He’s raced everything from super-sprint to Ironman, duathlons and off-road triathlons, and can regularly be seen on the roads and trails around Bristol. Matt is the author of Triathlon! from Aurum Press and is now the editor of Cycling Plus magazine.