MADRID, 7 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish cyclist Lluís Mas, who in 2024 takes a step back from road cycling by leaving the Movistar Team and joining the Continental Illes Balears Arabay Cycling team, will debut this month at the NEOM Titan Desert Saudi Arabia, where he will go “to “top” knowing that he risks ending up melted down on a physical level.
Lluís Mas, stage winner in the 2015 Tour of Turkey and with seven ‘Grand Tours’ under his belt, takes advantage of the end of the 2023 season – his last in Movistar and with a third place in the Spanish Time Trial Championship – to debut with the mountain bike in the demanding Titan Desert in Saudi Arabia.
“In recent years, with the emergence of cyclocross and gravel, the teams give more and more freedom, but before it was very difficult for them to let you get off the road bike,” acknowledged the Spaniard, who recently turned 34.
But he recognizes that he has been practicing the modality for years, in winter, as a way to mentally disconnect. Now, he will try to go all out to seek the overall of the Titan Desert, a race known to him although it will be his debut as a ‘titan’.
“It is a race that I have known for a long time, especially the one you organize in Morocco. In recent years I would have liked to participate, but it was more complicated due to the limitations of the team. It is true that, for a couple of years, in the professional peloton There is starting to be more freedom, with the emergence of cyclocross or gravel. So I asked for permission to do mountain bike races,” he said.
“I had known about the Titan Desert for many years and one day I met Manu Tajada (sports director of the race), who was preparing the Arabian race last year. I was curious and here we are,” he explained in an interview provided by the organization of the Saudi test.
A test that he faces with enthusiasm and very motivated. “For me, personally, being able to squeeze these juices now in winter is a pleasure. I come out very motivated to train and to races like the Titan Desert. It gives me the motivation to compete and not have three months of just training. It’s an incentive to start strong,” he acknowledged.
“Well, I’ve already taken a look at the website and the Instagram account to see information and the route. It looks very good. It’s not about big climbs, but that also motivates me because I’m coming back from the break and it’s a way to start again smoother. Even so, those small hills that there are can make for a very nice race,” he added.
The objective is to have a good time and enjoy with your colleagues. “It’s true that when I go to a race I go out to go hard. Maybe they’ll blow me up later, but I’m going to go hard every day. If one day I can go there hidden, then maybe I’ll try to steal something from them in the sprint,” he stated.
In the Titan he will meet former teammates in the platoon, such as Luis León Sánchez and Haimar Zubeldia, among others. “I have to give something back to ‘Luisle.’ have a good time and I’m sure there will be a bit of heat,” he predicted.
2023-11-07 12:50:01
#theyll #blow #Ill
