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The stars of cycling set to compete in a Christmas special

The stars of cycling set to compete in a Christmas special

The Challenge of Stars is coming back on December 26th

There’s a special gift for all cycling enthusiasts this Christmas with The Challenge of Stars by ENEL, the knockout tournament that will see many of the world’s strongest riders compete.

Bkool technology will enable all viewers who follow the event to enjoy an innovative, engaging and immersive experience with a different perspective where the riders will participate in all the challenges as if they were really on the roads. The Stelvio and the Tuscan countryside will be the setting for the competitions.

The 8 climbers

The eight contenders in the climber category are the winner of the Giro d’Italia, Tao Geoghegan Hart, and the conqueror of the Vuelta a España and runner-up in the Tour de France, Primož Roglič, together with the winner of the first edition of The Challenge of Stars held at the end of May, Giulio Ciccone, with his teammate the Dutchman Bauke Mollema; one of the revelations of the last Corsa Rosa, the Portuguese João Almeida, the Colombian Harold Tejada, the Belgian Harm Vanhoucke and the German Ben Zwiehoff.

Gli 8 velocisti

An elite group of sprinters will be present at The Challenge of Stars by ENEL. Ireland’s Sam Bennett, Arnaud Démare of France, Australian Caleb Ewan, Germany’s Pascal Ackermann, the Belgian Tim Merlier, Great Britain’s Ben Swift, Sasha Modolo from Italy and the Danish former World Champion Mads Pedersen will all compete to win this second edition. The first edition’s sprinter competition was won by The Netherlands’ Fabio Jakobsen.

Quotes

Giulio Ciccone, Trek-Segafredo climber and winner of the first edition said: “The Challenge of Stars was an intriguing experience, an innovative challenge. It was a winning format in a complicated period of the year that, we all hope, will soon be put behind us. It was my first virtual victory and, together with the Everest Challenge, I remember it with satisfaction. I will try my hand at it with pleasure and, although my condition, compared to May, is different, I will try to honor this challenge as it deserves”.

The Deceuninck – Quick-Step sprinter, Sam Bennett, said: “I can’t wait to race in The Challenge of Stars. An event like this, where sprint specialists like me compete against each other, is a great idea. Even if I haven’t ridden for a while, it will be a great test for my form and my sprinting skills, as well as a fantastic way to end the year”.

Where to watch The Challenge of Stars

Starting from Saturday 26 December, the two tournaments (from 5pm CET for the sprinters and from 7pm CET for the climbers) will be broadcast on the Facebook channel of the Giro d’Italia. Television coverage in the five continents will be guaranteed by the following broadcasters:

Italy: Sky Sport
Europe: Eurosport Player
Japan: J Sports
Netherlands: Ziggo Sports
Belgium, Portugal: Eleven Sports
Israel: Sport 5
China: Zhibo.tv
Sub-Saharan Africa: Supersport
Australia: Fox Sports
New Zealand: Sky Sport
World: Olympic Channel, Mycujoo