MADRID, 7 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish runner Julen Zubero (Krypteia) has won the second stage of the NEOM Titan Desert in Saudi Arabia, disputed over 104 kilometers and after which the also Spanish David Valero (BH Templo Cafés UCC), number one in the world in MTB and bronze in Tokyo 2020, and Ariadna Ródenas (Kenzasport) retained the lead in the general classification.
Julen Zubero won with a time of 4 hours, 2 minutes and 23 seconds, beating David Valero and Haimar Zubeldia (Krypteia), both by 1 second. Josep Betalú, defending champion, was fourth, almost 9 minutes behind the trio on a windy day in which the titans faced tough climbs, navigation areas and spectacular canyons.
In the women’s category, Ariadna Ródenas from Elche increased her gap to almost an hour with respect to her immediate pursuer, the French Muriel Bouhet before facing the third stage, 139 kilometers long and in a loop, in which a large part of the NEOM Titan Desert will be decided. from Saudi Arabia.
“Today we have rolled faster. There were sandy and curly tracks and it was difficult to maintain a constant rhythm. Even so, I have found a good group and we have been compact”, stated Ródenas.