Race Report: Big Ride #3 – Castejón de Sos

A fantastic race in the spectacular mountain scenery of Castejón de Sos on 15th of June finished with Claudio Loureiro a clear winner. The Portuguese rider had a time of 22:31 in three timed sections which shaped this race, he was ahead of Roger González in second place by 34 seconds. Andres Fernandez Latorre from Slopes team was third, giving him first place in the under 23 category.

At the end of the race Claudio admitted to having had some fears about the attitude and to find himself acclaimed as the winner was a real surprise. “The trial went really well, I like the sections against the clock and normally do well in these, but I didn’t know if I would cope well with the altitude because it has often proved difficult and I was somewhat reticent. Claudio also talked about the difficulties of getting to first position, not just in BIG RIDE. I always have the objective to do the best I possibly can and to enjoy myself. That’s important for me. I had a lot of difficulty because the penalty I received in Tui has more or less taken me out of the fight for the championship.”

The second place for the Catalan rider Roger Gonzalez lifts him to the top of the classifications and he will arrive at the Open in Cercedilla in the mountains of Madrid heading the field. “I am very happy to come straight back to the top following this race. I came with little time to prepare but my rivals also had problems which helped me. I shouldn’t want to arrive as leader in Cercedilla , without having time for my preparation”.

In feminine classifications, Eva Garrido was in first position in Castejón de Sos and continues to wear the yellow jersey. At the end of the competition she expressed her happiness at having overcome the pressure of being leader and to go on to take first place here also. “It was a challenge for me to overcome the pressure, In Tui I fell and lost my focus but here in Castejon de Sos I managed to keep my concentration now I am relaxed ahead of the last test, relaxed and at ease, I am going to enjoy myself in Cercedilla”.

The race passed through the district of Ribagorza without problems, The 255 riders who left from Castejon de Sos praised the quality of the tracks and the valley of Benasque which has shown its fantastic potential for Enduro competition. The altitude is obviously a defining factor and it’s the first time we have started at an altitude over 2200 meters, a new challenging consideration for all the riders.

Guti Martin, the technical director of the event gave his opinion on the race. “Castejon de Sos and the Benasque valley have confirmed their potential at the highest level for the practice of Enduro, Clearly the altitude was the big difference which marked out this race as special, with the first section right from the start at 2200 meters, that alone has made it a new challenge for all participants”.

“From a sporting perspective the main talking point must be the fantastic form of Claudio Loureiro with an incredible time in section 1 of under 11 minutes; we had imagined when we constructed this section that 12 minutes would be unbeatable. Ruben Rodriguez unfortunately, after falling in training on Saturday seemed weakened and also had a puncture and breakdown on the first section so lost the lead. Roger Gonzalez on the other hand was able to consolidate his position as overall leader with second place in this race.”

So for the third year running Cercedilla will host the final showdown of BIG RIDE- It is another challenging event for the riders as the ground is very fast in this mountain area, and there are many obstacles such as rocks and roots so technical skills are really needed, but over the years it has become an area that is very popular with Enduro riders prepared for it’s challenges.

Nowhere could be better for the final event of BIG RIDE the Spanish Enduro Open.

More informations on www.bigridechampionship.com

Words & Pictures: PR Big Ride

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