NISSAN TITAN DESERT MTB MARATHON, SITIO OFICIAL.

Etapa 5 Viernes, 7 Mayo 2010

ROBERTO HERAS RETURNS TO HIS KINGDOM IN THE DESERT

Ouarzazate 07/05/2010 - Roberto Heras has won for the second time the Nissan Titan Desert and becomes the first participant to repeat victory in the marathon MTB desert. The Spanish has controlled the Czech Ondrej Fojtik on the last stage retaining the 11 minutes margin that gives him the second victory in the hard desert race.

In the last stage of the Nissan Titan Desert 2010 Roberto Heras has crossed the finish as winner of the fifth edition of the hardest endurance Mountain Bike bike race over the world. In these terrible conditions of heat, mountains and sand,Roberto Heras has been able to control and contain the attacks of the two participants from the Czech Republic, Martin Horak and Ondrej Fojtik, who gave the surprise in the early days and only the Spanish have been able to hold them. However, the gap that Roberto Heras takes in the mountain stages was enough to bet his rivals.

In this final stage, the race has started from Toundout and in a 54km stage without undue complications, They have arrived to the finish before noon. First positions crossing the finish line today were the two team members of RADIKAL BIKES, Milton Ramos and Marc Trayter, with Roberto Heras and Ondrej Fojtik on their backs.

In female category, the first to cross the finish line today was Nuria Jiménez, Nuria Espinosa and Nuria Lauco, second and third, that last one have become the winner of the women overall repeating win also in this issue.

After the finish participants have celebrated the fact of achieve the goal of the finish after five hard days were the heat, sand and mountains have been the protagonists. The heat of the harsh conditions in which 340 participants have had to pedal for five days and more than 480 kilometers. The sand by the harsh conditions of some sections in some of the stages in which cycling was becoming an impossible mission. And the terrible mountain slopes of some of the peaks of the route and the status of the clues for which they have went up or down.

Clasificación 5ª etapa Nissan Titan Desert 2010
1.- Milton Ramos – RADIKALBIKES - 1h45m03s
2.- Marc Trayter – RADIKALBIKES - 1h45m03s +0m00s
3.- Roberto Heras – DOCTORE BIKE - 1h45m03s +0m00s
4.- Ondrej Fojtik – NISSAN CEE 1 - 1h45m04s +0m01s
5.- David Lozano – BICIS ESTEVE 1 - 01h48m49s +03m45s

Etapa 4 Jueves, 6 Mayo 2010

HORAK WINS THE FOURTH STAGE AND HERAS CONSOLIDATES HIS LEADERSHIP
TOUNDOUT 06/05/2010 - Roberto Heras has toke a giant step forward in the fourth stage of the Nissan Titan Desert 2010 and consolidated his leadersip and faces the final stage with many options to get the win. The stage of 135km has been marked by constantly changing terrain. From the early km the main favorites have been highlighted from the rest of the group and on the arrival Horak and Heras have fought for victory in a dramatic sprint. The Czech Ondrej Fojtik, second in the overall classification, has lost four minutes and a half.

From the start, as the other days, the favorites have pushed hard and Roberto Heras has marked Ondrej Fojtik closely to avoid surprises. At kilometer 30 participants have faced a sharp rise in just over four miles, but with nearly 500 meter drop in a very hard terrain and plenty of loose stones. At this point, the lead group consisted of only nine participants have been broke in the climbing by Roberto Heras who have leave back one by one, all his rivals.

At the top of the mountain, Heras had been separated from Marc Trayter and Milton Ramos. In the rapid descent to a small population, he has increased his lead and started to impose a superb pace that none of the pursuers have been able to maintain. Meter by meter has been steadily opening up a comfortable gap that allowed some peace in the remaining kilometers to the finish.

However, at kilometer 95, Roberto Heras had a puncture which lost him the four minutes advantage over Marc Trayter. Seven minutes behind, a group of three participants tried to give chase to Heras. Roberto has had to stop and waste a lot of time and spent his last repair kit to fix his wheel. By getting on the bike with Trayter and heels, Heras crossed his fingers and hoped for mercy to not suffer another puncture. Fortunately, luck was on their side today and has been able to reach without further setbacks the finish line.

Yard by yard Martin Horak has catching Roberto Heras in the five miles of rocky and technical Oued where the Mountain Professional Bike has managed to leverage its experience in difficult terrains and has risen to Spanish before the last miles before arrival.

Approaching the finishing line Martin Horak has tried to attack Heras but the spanish has responded holding off Czech. However, just over 50 feet from the end Horak has drawn artillery and has made victory in the same finish line.

Tomorrow last stage of the 2010 edition between Toundout and Ouarzazate, a distance of 55 kilometers without excessive complications and very fast track that will crown the winner of this exciting Nissan Titan Desert

Etapa 3 Miercoles, 5 Mayo 2010

ROBERTO HERAS ATTACKS AND TAKES THE CONTROL IN THE MOUNTAINS
Boumalne Dades 05/05/2010 - Roberto Heras has drawn heavy artillery today in the third stage of the Nissan Titan Desert that takes place in Morocco. With a distance of 101km today's stage represented the first day of high mountains across the South Atlas Mountains over 2000m altitude. From the opening bars Roberto Heras has kept the leader Ondrej Foijtik and when they reach the halfway mark has put all eggs in one basket and has begun to gain ground. Finally, the Spanish rider has crossed the line first ahead of Czech by 07m13s.

Third stage and third change of leadership at the head of the overall classement. Today was Roberto Heras who through his perseverance and his extraordinary physical shape, has managed to make a jump forward in the overall standings and he is now facing his second win in this race.

Three hundred and nineteen participants have taken out this morning from the town of Alnif to face the first high mountain stage. The pace from the first mile quickly broke the front group when the mountainous satrted and by kilometer 20 only had four runners in head: Roberto Heras, Ondrej Foijtik, Milton Ramos and Martin Horak who have faced together over 20 kilometers continued rise in one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country.

As the miles have been added to the counter, only Foijtik and Heras have managed to maintain the strong pace of climbing and have been separated from their pursuers. As they passed the second checkpoint of the race and when they had completed the first 70 miles, Roberto Heras had opened a little gap of just two minutes to Ondrej. But after crowning the last port that distance had increased and at the finish line was located at 7m13s claiming the leader's red jersey.

Martin Horak, the winner of the first stage and the first day of the race has now been accumulated fatigue in the stage yesterday in which he pricks and just devastated going through the last 35km stage on his back wheel.

Roberto Heras "The key to the race was today. With the main stage I managed to get ahead but there are still many miles to go. Tomorrow I'll try to win also but controlling Ondrej Foijtik to prevent him cut me time, " said the spaniard at the end of the stage.

Etapa 2 Martes, 4 Mayo 2010

ROBERTO HERAS HOLDS ONDREJ FOJTIK AND INCREASE THEIR ADVANTAGE IN FRONT
Alnif 04/05/2010 – In the second stage of the Nissan Titan Desert 2010 Roberto Heras has hold the Czech Ondrej Fojtik pace and both have fight for the top of the standings. At a very quick 94 km stage, without excessive slopes but with some very technical sections, the 324 survivors who remain in classification has started early in the morning from M'Cissi camp in route to Alnif.

Once again the pace of head has been spectacular since the first steps of the stage and a large lead group of about 30 participants has been created in the first kilometers. They have push hard and forced the group to stretch. This strong pace in the first few miles has marked the development of stage when they arrived to a faster area were the strongest participants have tightened further. On stony ground but quickly the big leading group has been segmented into several smaller ones when the hardness of the route increased.

When they reach a small mountain pass before crossing towards Alnif the leader and winner of yesterday's stage, Czech Martin Horak, has suffered a series of tire blows that made him fall from the group. Nevertheless he has not given up, has repaired his rear wheel and has continued. A few miles back the same wheel blowed again and he has used his last repair kit in the hope of solving the problem. However, before arriving to CP3 of the race, and slightly less than 20 kilometers from the finish he has another puncture, losing all chance of fighting for victory or to retain the overall lead.

Two kilometers from the finish only Roberto Heras and Czech Ondrej Fojtik have options to fight for victory. With regard land with his pursuers, they have faced the finish line in the sprint but Fojtik has not given to the Spanish any option increasing his pace in the rocky area before the finish line in Alnif and has finally have crossed the finish line ahead of Heras and taking the lead in the race by 25s.

Behind them Israel Nunez and Laurent Jalabert have lost seven minutes more in the overall classification while Milton Ramos has come together in a fifth group of Ismael Ventura, Alejandro Diaz de la Peña, Marc Treyter and Raul Hernandez.

Tomorrow's stage between Alnif and Boumalne Dades of 98.14 kilometers and will be the first of two mountain stages, radically changing the ground and climbing up to 2100m high in the mountains of Atlas

Clasificación Individual 2ª Etapa (M’Cissi – Alnif) Nissan Titan Desert 2010
1.- Ondrej Fojtik – NISSAN CEE 1 – 03h08m07s
2.- Roberto Heras – DOCTORE BIKE – 03h08m32s +0:20s
3.- Israel Núñez Baticón – TARRAGONA 2017 – 03h15m17s +7m10s
4.- Laurent Jalabert – LOOK PULSAT GO2 – 03h15m17s +7m10s
5.- Milton Ramos – RADIKAL BIKES – 3h21m29s +13m10s

Etapa 1 Lunes, 3 Mayo 2010

THE FIRST STAGE SHOWS THE FIRST MAJOR DIFFERENCES

M'Cissi 03/05/2010 - Ondrej Fojtik and Martin Horak from the Czech Republic have become the surprise leaders of the first 2010 Nissan Titan Desert stage between Maadid and M'Cissi. With an almost flat trail, 98 km long, the 328 participants who have taken out have been living in their own body the first difficulties of the desert. The stage has been decided into a sprint between Martin Horak and Ondrej Fojtik against Roberto Heras, the only participant who was able to withstand the strong pace set in the lead by the Czech guys.

With a huge dune cross just after the start, participants have faced the first difficulties of the desert being forced to set foot on the ground. Having overcome this first hurdle, the race has passed through rocky and fast tracks in which the leading group has set a strong pace. This leading group was large but has suddenly started to break and have stayed in front the two team members NISSAN CEE 1, Roberto Heras, Marc Trayter and Tinker Juarez.
The large group, however, just after half day's route, had begun to fragment. First have fallen Mauri, Olano, Israel Nuñez, Raul Hernandez and Laurent Jalabert. In fron the head of the five survivors: the two guys from Czech Republic, Spanish Roberto Heras, Catalan Marc Trayter and from US, Tinker Juarez.

After km 60, Catalan and American have also lost the wake of the first group and have stayed together losing minutes from the head of the race. In this way they have reached the finish. The first was Martin Horak wheel followed by his compatriot Ondrej Fotik and one second behind the Spanish Roberto Heras who has finally been able to maintain the strong pace of NISSAN CEE team members.
The tail group, the problems have plagued many of the participants. One of the first to fall was Nicolas Jalabert, brother of Laurent Jalabert (6th ranked in today's stage) who has been forced to retire in the early stages with a gearbox problem on his bike.

Tomorrow's stage will take participants from M'Cissi camp to Alnif village, 100 kilometers long in a very similar path as today’s stage.

Clasificación Individual 1ª Etapa Nissan Titan Desert 2010
1.- Orak Martin – NISSAN CEE1 – 3h26m07s
2.- Ondrej Fojtik – NISSAN CEE 1 – 3h26m07s +0:0m
3.- Roberto Heras – DOCTORE BIKE – 3h26m08s +0:1m
4.- Marc Trayter – RADIKAL BIKES – 3h37m33s +11:26m
5.- Tinker Juarez – CANNONDALE 1 – 3h42m33s +15:56m