Luis León and Natalia Fischer, new champions

There are times when being the favorite or even dominating a race does not guarantee success. Luis León Sánchez knows this all too well. The Murcia native entered his third Škoda Titan Desert Almería as the clear favorite. Technical problems and inexperience weighed heavily on him in his first two appearances.

Of course, it has never been a leg problem. The Cleardent team rider has always been dominant on the bike. Opening up a gap when he needed to and pacing himself when he felt he should.

With that in mind, ‘Luisle’ had thoroughly prepared for this race, in which he is now a veteran. With victories in the NEOM Titan Desert Saudi Arabia and the Škoda Titan Desert Morocco under his belt, only Almería stood between him and the triple crown he achieved today.

Luis León has done so in a curious way: without winning a single stage. The stage victories have gone to Luis Ángel Maté, twice; Haimar Zubeldia; and Noel Martín. The rider from Ávila has achieved another stage victory today, adding to the two he already has in Morocco.

Because ‘Luisle’ has been generous with his teammates. He knew that to win overall, he didn’t need to ‘steal’ the stages. That’s how he did it, and that’s how he wrote his name in gold letters in the history of a race that always guarantees excitement. Nothing proves this better than the fact that in six editions in Almeria, there have been six different winners of the men’s overall classification.

There is also a new winner in the women’s GC. Natalia Fischer, a Spanish champion, made her debut and triumphed in her first participation in the Škoda Titan Desert Almería.

She has also done so like her predecessor in the list of winners, Tessa Kortekaas, sweeping everything for herself. Four out of four stages, best time in the Škoda Challenge, and GC victory for the cyclist from Extremadura Ecopilas.

Today’s stage was tougher than Fischer herself had expected. Upon reaching the finish line, the Estepona native acknowledged that the route was demanding and that the dust, sand, and slides at the Álvarez de Sotomayor Legion base, a major feature of the stage, made her suffer to win.

So, two new champions, two Spaniards, Luis and Natalia, ‘Luisle’ and Fischer. Both are now part of Titan World Series history and promise to continue giving it their all in Almeria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Chile, and wherever else a race is held that, as always, has been much more than just a race.