The 2020 Andalucia Bike Race field is stacked with six former Olympic cyclists, two Marathon World Champions, one XCO World Champion, four XCM European Champions, thirteen XCM National Champions as well as five XCO and one CX National Champion.
In line with the previous nine editions, Andalucía Bike Race presented by Caja Rural Jaén continues as one of the best early season mountain bike stage races. The roster presented for this tenth edition makes it clear how important this event is, even more so after the change of category with the promotion to Hors Catégorie by the UCI.
On the starting line next February 25th in Jaén the three time winner of this event and current European XCM Champion Tiago Ferreira will line up, as will Hans Becking, José Dias, Andreas Militadis and Pau Salvà.
Still in the male category, names like Fabian Rabensteiner or Michele Casagrande (Trek-Pirelli), two-time Swiss CX Champion Lukas Flückiger, World XCM Champion Massimo Debertolis who will be accompanied by four other great riders from his Willier Force 7C team, including Johnny Cattaneo, 2004 XCM World Champion. In addition, the winners of the 2014 edition will be Markus Kaufmann (TEXPA SIMPLON) and Jochen Kass (Team Centurion Vaude), who will come along with Daniel Gesismayr, one of the best mountain bikers on the international scene.
Between the male and female category, this tenth edition of Andalucía Bike Race presented by Caja Rural Jaén accumulates up to six cyclists who have participated in Olympic Games. One of them is, of course, Carlos Coloma (BH TEMPLO CAFÉS UCC). The Spaniard will continue with his Olympic path with an obligatory stop in our race.
Other great national marathon teams that will also be competing in this tenth edition, will be the BUFF®-SCOTT MTB Team and the Olympia Factory Cycling Team with Ever Alejandro Gómez as one of the main highlights.
Women at the Andalucia Bike Race
In the women’s category we find another outstanding name that has participated in the Olympic Games, as the American Lea Davison (USA CYCLING AND TEAM TWENTY20) will also have a good test on her way for the Olympics. A medallist in the 2014 and 2016 World Championships, the cyclist from Syracuse will put on a show. She is currently 19th in the UCI World ranking. Italian Eva Lechner from the TRINX Factory Team, currently in 12th place in the UCI ranking, is possibly the most successful in recent years with eleven medals at world level, and thirteen European.
From the southern hemisphere, Mariske Strauss (CST POSTNL BAFANG MTB RACING TEAM), will be another of the cyclists who will put all the meat on the table. The South African is currently ranked 25th in the UCI ranking and we will certainly see her with the best.
More names that stand out from the list of main favourites are the Estonian Janika Lõiv (HAWAII EXPRESS) who is 11th in the UCI ranking, the Slovenian Blaza Pintaric (PINTATIM), as well as the Lithuanian Katazina Sosna (TORPADO-SÜDTIROL MTB PRO TEAM) or the Norwegian Hildegunn Hovdenak (Olympia Factory Cycling Team).
Pintaric is currently number one in the world ranking of the Marathon Series. In addition, she has been Champion, runner-up and third in the European XCM Championship, as well as twice runner-up and third in the World XCM Championship, being in 2019 runner-up in the European and World Mountain Bike Championship.
These are some of the names that will surely give a lot of quality to an edition that is expected to be spectacular.