CENTAURS OF THE DESERT
Abraham Olano and Pello Ruiz
Cabestany, two of the most recognized riders from the professional
circuit in Spain, will embark on a new adventure that will take them as
far as the Moroccan desert to compete in a gruelling Mountain Bike
competition. Only participants who ride a bike as naturally as the rest
of us can run, will have any chance of dealing with the obstacles
thrown at them during the race.
Abraham Olano, who in the past won
the Road World Champion title, and Pello Ruiz Cabestany, winner of
various stages of the Tour de France and the Vuelta de Espana, are in
the final stages of preparation for what will be completely
un-chartered territory for them: the Titan Desert MTB Marathon. The
challenge begins April 27th on Moroccan soil. They will be pitted
against sand dunes, rocky trails and extreme temperatures, with only a
road map for navigation and none of the en-route assistance the two
have benefited from in the past.
Olano will team up with Melcior Mauri, another medal-winning cyclist and winner of the Vuelta, and Jordi Arteman, together forming the Ceramic Spiuk-TAU team. Ruiz Cabestany meanwhile, will compete alongside Miguel Ángel Iglesias, another formidable competitor, and Sergi López Egea. Along with another 289 participants, they will test themselves to the limits in a competition filled with adventure, and bordering on fantasy.
Given the particular charm of the Titan, most people who embark in this competition do so from a deep seated thirst for this kind of adventure, something that Olano’s family perfectly understands: “My family has taken my decision to participate in the Titan well because they know that, for me, it’s a way to relax. It’s an adventure that I fancy taking, mainly because it’s a race where what you value most are your orientation skills and the team you end up forming with your partners.”
For this reason, both Olano and Ruiz Cabestany value team-work, which constitutes the very core of their role in the race. Because, as Ruiz Cabestany explains: “It is a competition that can be done in two different ways: taking it easy or pushing it. For this reason, although I will try to do it as well as possible, my intention is to enjoy the experience with friends, because in the end, it’s a new experience for me which combines perfectly sport and tourism, two of my main hobbies.”
Although both will go to Morocco in order to experience something different, their racing pedigree will prevent them from taking the competition as mere enjoyment. Within their objectives they will try to put in a worthy performance, without discarding the chance of victory. For this, they will try to put into practise what years of experience have taught them during their time as the cycling elite. Contrary to all those participants who are more accustomed to the seat of a Moutain Bike, Olano reflects: “We count on this small advantage of knowing better, at any given moment, what we really can give of ourselves. It will be a very physically demanding race, so that managing your strength is essential. For this reason, preparation is very important; you must teach your body to go without water, as in the desert we will be in fairly extreme situations »
Nevertheless, what is clear for both of them is that pressure to win isn’t a factor which will influence them. In that sense Ruiz Cabestany doesn’t have any doubts: “I left the pressure of competition long ago. Now, I’m not so anxious to win, but to have a good time. Of course, there will be moments in which I like to make myself suffer, but these days when I get tired of suffering, I stop. To tell the truth, I’ve suffered enough in my professional life.”
Olano will team up with Melcior Mauri, another medal-winning cyclist and winner of the Vuelta, and Jordi Arteman, together forming the Ceramic Spiuk-TAU team. Ruiz Cabestany meanwhile, will compete alongside Miguel Ángel Iglesias, another formidable competitor, and Sergi López Egea. Along with another 289 participants, they will test themselves to the limits in a competition filled with adventure, and bordering on fantasy.
Given the particular charm of the Titan, most people who embark in this competition do so from a deep seated thirst for this kind of adventure, something that Olano’s family perfectly understands: “My family has taken my decision to participate in the Titan well because they know that, for me, it’s a way to relax. It’s an adventure that I fancy taking, mainly because it’s a race where what you value most are your orientation skills and the team you end up forming with your partners.”
For this reason, both Olano and Ruiz Cabestany value team-work, which constitutes the very core of their role in the race. Because, as Ruiz Cabestany explains: “It is a competition that can be done in two different ways: taking it easy or pushing it. For this reason, although I will try to do it as well as possible, my intention is to enjoy the experience with friends, because in the end, it’s a new experience for me which combines perfectly sport and tourism, two of my main hobbies.”
Although both will go to Morocco in order to experience something different, their racing pedigree will prevent them from taking the competition as mere enjoyment. Within their objectives they will try to put in a worthy performance, without discarding the chance of victory. For this, they will try to put into practise what years of experience have taught them during their time as the cycling elite. Contrary to all those participants who are more accustomed to the seat of a Moutain Bike, Olano reflects: “We count on this small advantage of knowing better, at any given moment, what we really can give of ourselves. It will be a very physically demanding race, so that managing your strength is essential. For this reason, preparation is very important; you must teach your body to go without water, as in the desert we will be in fairly extreme situations »
Nevertheless, what is clear for both of them is that pressure to win isn’t a factor which will influence them. In that sense Ruiz Cabestany doesn’t have any doubts: “I left the pressure of competition long ago. Now, I’m not so anxious to win, but to have a good time. Of course, there will be moments in which I like to make myself suffer, but these days when I get tired of suffering, I stop. To tell the truth, I’ve suffered enough in my professional life.”