A week ago, Ariadna Ródenas from Elche went to Saudi Arabia. In his suitcase, a bike, a crown and tons of enthusiasm and courage to tackle a new adventure, Titan Desert The Asian country is already champion in 2022. Once you got to the top, you know, the hardest thing to do was stay.
Ródenas did this. And with authority. Second consecutive victory at one of the red-marked events on the annual mountain bike calendar. The woman from Elche is a legend of the Saudi race, not only because of her two victories, but also because she traveled more than 3,500 kilometers across the deserts in this edition; Therefore, the organization awarded him with the category “Titan Legend”. ” What started as an adventure led him to Olympus, where only the determined can enter. Persistence, quality and, of course, self-confidence. This is the only way to advance on the path to victory in this type of dating. This is the only way to survive in the desert.
full judge
Ródenas’ record is already adorned with a second Saudi Titan Desert, but that’s not the only place where the Elche native has dominated. He also won in Morocco (2021) and Almería (mixed event) and Your XCO M30 world champion and the third was classified at Cape Epic in South Africa.
A year ago he won his first victory in Saudi Arabia, winning all the stages. She hasn’t slowed down much in the last week, although she was helped by the withdrawal of her main rival, Dutch Tessa Kortekaas, due to illness. Ródenas, on his own. He won the final with a time of 15 hours, 52 minutes and 42 seconds in total. Sophomore Eva Lamela needed five hours more than she did to complete the race. Moroj Adil completed the women’s podium.
“I am very happy to defend my title in Arabia. “I came in a good shape and I knew I would have a lot of competition with Kortekaas, but he retired and I was left alone in the fight for the general classification,” Ródenas told EFE.I enjoyed the race, but it wasn’t easy either. The stages on these tracks are very difficult and I pedaled alone for hours.“, added.
After that 355 kilometers of route and 2,312 meters of accumulated bumpsRódenas was able to celebrate the victory with the classic image of the cyclist lifting his bike as he crossed the finish line. It’s an image of athlete and tool united after sharing the experience of overcoming a very difficult ordeal that surprised even seasoned professionals like the man from Murcia. Luis Leon Sanchezdebutant this year or Basque Haimar ZubeldiaHe lost the men’s competition in a thrilling head-to-head with Enrique Morcillo in the final stage.
And now one adventure gives way to another. Elche’s champion already has his next challenge in mind: the Way of the Conquerors. To do this, he will travel to Costa Rica to compete in a very tough test that will begin on November 30th. Therefore, the second championship celebration in Saudi Arabia should be short and subdued.
From factory to desert
Yes, it’s a happiness that Ródenas conveys with every pedal stroke, enjoying a sport he loves, but it took him a while to discover it, especially until he was 27 (he’s now 36). Some of his colleagues contracted the cycling bug during the duathlon while preparing for competitive exams, and the result after a decade is second to none.
In fact, this passion grew even more along with his professional side. The woman from Elche worked in the Mondraker production chain in the city of palm trees, the same bicycle manufacturer from which she won her titles.. “It is an honor to be able to carry the brand to other continents,” he says. From factory to desert. And from there to the top of the podium.
The woman from Elche is now Ariadna II of Arabia. Queen of the desert. Now it’s time to continue exploring the dunes, trekking the mountains and completing adventures, proudly representing your lands across your planet. It is becoming more and more legendary in the Titan Desert. And this also comes with a huge responsibility for the opponent to beat at each starting line. It will be in Costa Rica. And also in Arabia in 12 months. Ródenas will return there to find a trio that is as difficult as it is exciting. Because the next step of a legend is to become a legend.