Kyle Smith Dominates, Anastacia Damm Nielsen Wins by Five Seconds at Challenge Barcelona
Smith’s commanding solo performance marked another milestone in his comeback, while Nielsen dug deep in the closing kilometres to secure her first professional victory.
Challenge Family
Kyle Smith continued his late-season podium comeback with a commanding victory at Challenge Barcelona, while Anastacia Damm Nielsen edged Marta Bernardi by just five seconds to claim the first professional win of her career.
Smith broke clear early on the bike and remained unchallenged to finish in 3:30:39. Meanwhile, Nielsen’s victory required digging deep in the closing stages of the run to finally break free of Bernardi, leading to her first professional victory in a time of 4:00:59.
For Smith, the result marked his first win since The Championship in Šamorín in May 2024 and another podium step forward after two difficult years of injuries and setbacks, and for Nielsen, it delivered a career milestone.
“FIRST PRO WIN. Damn, I’m SO proud of my little team,” she wrote in a post-race Instagram post.
Smith Takes Control on the Bike
Sven Thalmann led the men out of the water in 23:54, with Jannik Schaufler, Smith and Maximilian Kruger close behind. But Smith wasted little time moving to the front on the bike, setting a pace that quickly separated him from the chasers.
By the 30km mark, Smith had opened a two-minute advantage over an eight-man chase group led by Gaspard Tharreau. His lead continued to grow as the chasers jockeyed for positions behind him, with Schaufler and Thalmann among those trying to close the gap to Smith.
Smith completed his solo effort in 1:50:42, recording the fastest bike split of the day and arriving at T2 with a five-minute lead. Thor Bendix Madsen, after an incredible bike performance, started the run in second, six minutes behind Smith and 20 seconds ahead of Schaufler who was sitting in third.
The chasers struggled to make up any time on the lead over the three-lap run along Barcelona’s seafront promenade. With 10km remaining, Smith was smiling and still holding roughly six minutes over Schaufler, who had moved into second.
Smith claimed the victory, while Thalmann ultimately came through to claim second ahead of Schaufler in third.
The performance adds to Smith’s emotional return to the podium at the French Riviera T100, where he finished third despite being hit by a bus the day before the race. Afterwards, he struggled to express what it meant to finally say: “I’m back.”
Nielsen Wins a Close Battle with Bernardi
Maria Vilas exited first on the shores of Mar Bella in just under 27 minutes. An early lead group formed on the bike, with Vilas joined by Maela Moison, Eva Marsac, Sarah-Jane Goodwin, and Katharina Krüger.
Nielsen closed the gap and moved to the front, joining Moison, working together to grow their lead over the chase group. By the latter stages of the bike, Nielsen led Vilas, Moison, and Marta Bernardi, with the four holding a 2:20 advantage over the chasers.
Vilas reached the dismount line first after a 2:09:26 bike split. A tumble briefly interrupted her progress, but she quickly regained her feet and headed into transition alongside Bernardi, Nielsen, and Moison.
On the run, Nielsen and Bernardi emerged as the two leaders who would contend for the victory. Neither could shake the other, and with 5km remaining they were still together at the front, with Vilas pursuing in third. Behind them, Krüger was closing and with just 2km to go, she overtook Vilas to move into third place.
The fight for first remained undecided until the closing stages, when Nielsen found the separation she needed. She crossed the line in 4:00:59 marking her first professional victory, just five seconds ahead of Bernardi, with Krüger completing the podium.
