News

Complex measures increase safety on the course / More referees and smaller start groups for improved fairness

ROTH. With thousands of starters, 7,500 volunteers and countless supporters, DATEV Challenge Roth is the biggest long-distance triathlon in the world. In order to ensure safety and fairness for all participants, TEAMCHALLENGE, as the organiser of the race, is once again investing heavily in this area.

For an equal race: adjusting the start groups for the swim
TEAMCHALLENGE is increasing the number of start groups for the swim by three, from 18 to 21 compared to last year. As a result of this measure, a maximum of 226 athletes will swim in one start group on 7 July. On average, 205 athletes will swim in each group. This increases the quality for each individual participant right from the start of the race. In accordance with gender equality, one of the sustainability goals of TEAMCHALLENGE, the female starters are divided into one of the 21 starting groups according to their target finish time.

The aim of this measure is also to spread out the field during the bike so that there is no congestion on the two-lap course. "We have analysed the race times from previous years in detail. According to our calculations, the increase in the number of starting groups alone means that there will be up to 27% fewer starters in the same place at the same time," says Markus Englert, who is responsible for logistics at TEAMCHALLENGE.

Number of referees doubled – Race Ranger in the professional field
The organiser of DATEV Challenge Roth is increasing the number of referees to a total of 80, doubling the number from 2023. 55 referees in total will that the distance to the person in front is always maintained on the bike course. For the first time, Race Ranger is available to support the referees in the professional field. The New Zealand system uses sensors on the pros' bikes to easily display possible drafting offences.

"We always want to offer the best possible quality for the athletes competing at DATEV Challenge Roth. This is our aspiration. For this reason, this year for the first time we have dispensed with our traditional Christmas campaign, which in the past generated another 300 athletes. Even though we are foregoing income from entry fees, I am convinced that this will further increase the quality of the race," says Race Director Felix Walchshöfer.

Routes free of motorised through traffic
The organisers of DATEV Challenge Roth announced an important safety measure at the end of April: From 2024, athletes will be able to ride the course at DATEV Challenge Roth completely free of motorised through traffic.

Up to now, there have been a few sections of the DATEV Challenge Roth bike course where vehicles travelled in the same direction as the participants, as well as two smaller sections where vehicles met the participants in a separate lane. Thanks to a sophisticated traffic management plan for local residents, this will no longer be the case.

Driver safety training for motorbike crews
On 25 May, an official driving safety training course for large parts of the motorbike team took place for the first time. The team was given a whole day of training in the technical aspects of motorbike riding by trainers from SRS Motorrad. On race day, the team will ensure the referees and camera crews for the live broadcast ride safely on the course.

Every year, thousands of triathlon dreams come true at DATEV Challenge Roth. On 7 July, the race will once again host the biggest triathlon party of the year. The race was fully booked within 40 seconds of online registration.