Reigning champions Hans Becking (NED) and Jiri Novak (CZE) just got the company of XCM World Champion, Portuguese Tiago Ferreira and Belgian Roel Paulissen, who both have won the title of the World Marathon Championship (XCM) in their careers.
Ferreira is the current world champion, after winning the title at the end of June in Laissac (FRA). Paulissen won the title twice in 2008 and 2009 – he also has silver (2007) and bronze (2006) medals. “I had the privilege of being the champion of Brasil Ride with my compatriot Luis Leão in 2012. To this day it is one of my most memorable victories. This year I will run for my second championship”, says Tiago Ferreira. “Of all the competitions, Brasil Ride is the hardest one. At the same time, we see spectacular scenery and the format of the competition is fantastic. For me it is the number 1 ultramarathon”, added Ferreira.
Competing as the world champion jersey will not bring extra pressure. “This year I conquered my career’s ultimate goal: be world champion. In Brasil Ride it will be a different situation. There will be seven days of competition and that changes everything. It’s normal that I’m a little more famous, but this is a situation that I’m used to”, he says.
Ferreira also evaluates the route change, leaving Chapada Diamantina after six years in Mucugê and Rio de Contas. Now, the riders will face the Discovery Coast in Arraial d’Ajuda and Guaratinga. “What I know of the Discovery Coast is just what I could see from the pictures. Sounds like a real paradise. I think Brasil Ride will become faster this year and, by consequence, more tactical as well. But, as always, it has all the predicates to be a super race”.
Periklis Ilias and Tiago Jorge Ferreira Oliveira of Team Dolomiti Superbike during stage 6 of the 2016 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race from Boschendal in Stellenbosch, South Africa on the 19th March 2015
Photo by Nick Muzik/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS
He is also excited to run with his new partner Roel Paulissen. “In addition to two-time world champion, he has won several titles in UCI World MTB Cross Country and also won the Cape Epic in South Africa. Roel has been in the 2013 edition of Brasil Ride and finished in fifth place. He is an athlete with a lot of experience and is in good shape. I’m sure our team will make a great race”.
New route for the seventh edition – The seventh edition of the main MTB ultra-marathon of the Americas will present competitors with new challenges. From 2010 to 2015 riders faced the Chapada Diamantina. In 2016, between October 15 and 22, the challenge will be the Route of Discovery trough southern Bahia. The city of Porto Seguro will host one of the race villages. The other will be located near the city of Guaratinga – that will be the secondary camp site for the 500 participants.
Brasil Ride 2016 registration
The duos that are already dreaming about the two-wheels party should be aware: registrations for the seventh edition is already open. All details can be found on Brasil Ride’s official web site: www.brasilride.com.br. As in previous editions, there are 500 vacancies for 250 doubles available.
Brasil Ride’s sixth edition brought together 500 athletes from 23 countries and 18 Brazilian states and the Federal District in the Chapada Diamantina, in the heart of Bahia state. The Brasil Ride Marathon, a single day race, featured another 600 bikers.
Classified as S1, the race distributed to the winners of Open and Ladies categories 120 points in the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) rankings. In addition to products that were given as prizes in each stage, the 2015 edition had a record money prize for Brazilian Mountain Bike, with about 70 thousand Brazilian Reais in general and stages awards.