Great performance by the Buff®-Megamo team at the Andalucía Bike Race 2023. Hugo Drechou and Enrique Morcillo took a second final position in the Elite Men’s category and Janina Wüst and Txell Figueras came in third in the Elite Women’s category.
The ABR 2023, spanning the provinces of Jaén and Córdoba, saw an outstanding number of international participants and provided an opportunity to prepare for the Cape Epic event in South Africa. Covering 339 km and with a 9,400-m elevation gain over six extremely demanding stages, the event put all competitors to the test, but the Galfer Bike riders were clearly up to the challenge and achieved a number of successes.
In the Elite Men’s category, Hugo Drechou and Enrique Morcillo (Buff®-Megamo) improved their position, staying in the Top 10 throughout the qualifying stage and showing true strength during the final stages. Their pole position in the timed stage and great efforts on the last day are particularly noteworthy, giving them second place in the overall qualifier.
The Roberto Bou and Miguel Muñoz duo (Cannondale Vas Arabay) fought hard every day for pole positions, securing a number of stage podiums. Such consistent results put them in fourth place, just a few seconds from the final podium.
Meanwhile, the Sergio Mantecón and Francesc Guerra duo (Scott Cala Bandida) secured a well-deserved fifth final position, also demonstrating solid consistency over the six-day competition.
Lastly, José Dias and Hans Becking (Buff®-Megamo) also came very close to the podium. Starting the last stage in fifth position, José Dias was unfortunately not able to compete in the final leg due to health issues, leaving him out of the ranking.
In the Elite Women’s category, the Buff®-Megamo competitors, Janina Wüst and Txell Figueras, proved unstoppable throughout the race, taking the podium in every stage to secure a well-earned third position.
Also worth noting is the great race by Mónica Calderón and Greete Steinburg (Cannondale Vas Arabay), who made the Top 5 in most of the stages but took a final sixth position in the overall classification.
Just two weeks to go for the world’s most important Cross-Country Marathon, the prestigious Cape Epic event in South Africa, featuring eight stages over a distance of 658 km and a 15,775-m elevation gain.
