Challenge Forte Village Sardinia Kicks Off

Challenge Forte Village Sardinia has officially started with the official press conference that took place on Friday, October 24, 2025 at Forte Village Resort, in South Sardinia. Organized by Ajoha Sardinia A.S.D., with the support of the Regione Sardegna and part of the prestigious Challenge Family international circuit, one of the world’s leading series for middle and sprint distance races, the event marks an extraordinary return to the island’s southern coast.

Nearly 500 athletes from around the world will compete in an intense weekend of sport, beginning on Saturday, October 25, with the Triathlon Sprint and Duathlon Kids, and continuing on Sunday, October 26, with the Middle Distance race.

The press conference brought together Race Director Andrea Mentasti, Walter Cabasino, Mayor of Pula, where the resort is located, and Paolo Luigi Dessì, Mayor of Sant’Anna Arresi, highlighting the strong bond that connects Challenge Forte Village Sardinia with its territory and local community.

“We thank the organizers for choosing Pula to host this sporting event. It’s an important opportunity to promote our area beyond the traditional summer tourism season” said Walter Cabasino, Mayor of Pula.

“We congratulate Forte Village and the Challenge Forte Village Sardinia organization for bringing this major international event to life, involving our local communities. It’s an event that brings great benefits to our region, both in terms of visibility and economic growth,” added Maria Concetta Spada, Mayor of Domus De Maria.

The Italian Triathlon Federation President, Carlo Spanu, as well as Juanan Fernandez and Richard Belderock, representing the Challenge Family also joined.

“We are thrilled to be back in stunning Sardinia with the return of Challenge Forte Village,” said Jort Vlam, Challenge Family CEO. “This location for a race, right in the heart of the award-winning Forte Village Resort is second to none and the course is well known as one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful. It’s wonderful to welcome back all our athletes to this special part of the world, and also to welcome the Challenge Forte Village team back to Challenge Family. It’s going to be a great weekend of racing!“

Among this year’s standout athletes, and present at the conference, was Olympic triathlete Bianca Seregni, fresh off an outstanding performance last Sunday with her silver medal at the 2025 World Triathlon Championship Finals in Wollongong, Australia. Initially registered for the middle distance race, she chose instead to participate in the Sprint event, reaffirming her strong connection to Challenge Forte Village and Sardinia. Also in attendance was Michele Sarzilla, who recently claimed his first victory over the “half” distance at the 2025 Challenge Peguera-Mallorca circuit.

Joining them, around fifty professional athletes competing over the two race days, confirming a world-class start list and one of the most competitive editions to date — promising an exciting weekend of racing. The men’s professional field features  Will Draper (Great Britain), newly crowned European Long Distance Champion at Challenge Almere-Amsterdam 2025, Jannik Schaufler (Germany), winner of Challenge St. Pölten, and Michele Sarzilla (Italy), who claimed his first professional victory at Challenge Mallorca 2025. Also on the elite roster: Lasse Nygaard Priester (Germany), Joran Driesen (Belgium), and British athletes Will Grace and Louis Buttrick. Representing Italy are Andrea Figini, Antonio Limoli, Filippo Candeo, Ivan Cappelli, Davide Verzella, and Domenico Passuello, proudly flying the Italian colors. In the women’s field, standout contenders include Lilli Gelmini (Italy), a dominant force on the middle-distance circuit, and Nikita Paskiewiez (France), who recently delivered an impressive performance at the Ironman African Championship 2025. They’ll be joined by Margaréta Bičanová (Slovenia), Sophia Stueckrad (Germany), Sara Sandrini (Italy), Nicole Van Der Kaay (New Zealand), Francesca Crestani, Fabia Maramotti, Denise Cavallini, and Zsófia Kovacs, ensuring a highly competitive and international field.

The Sprint race will start at 10:00 a.m. Athletes will take on 750 meters of swimming in the crystal-clear Mediterranean waters, followed by a 20 km bike leg along the scenic road to Cala d’Ostia Tower, and a 5 km run inside Forte Village Resort.

In the afternoon, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., young athletes aged 6 to 15 will take center stage in the Duathlon Kids at Leisureland, with check-in at Piazzetta Enzo at 2:30 p.m. in the heart of the resort. Participants will be accompanied to the race venue by a special guest: Fabio Aru. The running legs will take place on the grass football field, while the cycling section will use the go-kart track, with added off-road segments for the “Esordienti” and “Ragazzi” categories.

The Middle Distance race begins at 8:00 a.m., with a 1.9 km swim (rolling start) in the stretch of sea in front of the resort. The 90 km bike course winds through Santa Margherita di Pula, Domus De Maria, Teulada, and Sant’Anna Arresi, while the 21 km run unfolds along the coast and the beach of Cala d’Ostia, leading to the finish line in the heart of Forte Village. A spectacular course between sea and nature, celebrating once again Southern Sardinia as a premier international triathlon destination.

Completing this great celebration of sport is the charity initiative “A Walk for Colours”, an open walk in support of IVI, a local non profit Association and artist Sally Gallotti, dedicated to the pictorial humanization of the Pediatric Oncohematology Ward and the Oncohematology Day Hospital of the Microcitemico Hospital in Cagliari. The project—launched by Forte Village Resort with the Charity Dinner held last June—continues with this new solidarity event.

To ensure the safety of athletes and spectators, a traffic closure order has been issued from Forte Village (km 39+276 of SS195) to Sa Launedda (km 34+710 of SS195) con October 25, 2025: from 9:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.and October 26, 2025: from 7:30 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m. Additionally, on October 26, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., there will be a temporary suspension of vehicle traffic along the 90 km bike course through Pula, Domus De Maria, Teulada, and Sant’Anna Arresi, on SS195 and SP71.

Closures will begin 30 minutes before the lead vehicle displaying the “START OF CYCLING RACE” sign and end 15 minutes after the vehicle displaying the “END OF CYCLING RACE” sign.