10 Mar ALBERTO BARROSO IN THE FAR WEST RACE SCOTT
Chronicle of the SCOTT Cala Bandida team, ambassador of ISB SPORT
Barroso wins the first stage of a Far West Race marked by rain and mud.
The SCOTT Cala Bandida team was one of the main protagonists of the SCOTT Far West Race, held in Calatayud, in the Sierra de Armantes mountain range. José Mari Sánchez and Alberto Barroso came with the goal of fighting for the title of “sheriff of the west,” which Sánchez had already won the previous season.
The first stage, 78 km long with 1,600 meters of elevation gain, was marked by the previous night’s rain, which left the terrain very muddy and made the race difficult. In these conditions, Alberto Barroso attacked from the start and formed a leading group with his teammate José Mari Sánchez and Adrián Benedito. The three maintained a very high pace for much of the stage and managed to open up a gap over the rest of the riders. Ultimately, the victory came down to the final kilometers between Barroso and Benedito, with Barroso winning in a very close sprint after almost three hours of effort.
The second stage was also contested on rain-soaked terrain. From the start, a larger leading group formed, comprised of top international riders. Barroso managed to stay with this group for much of the stage, but in the final stretch, he lost contact and finished in seventh place, missing out on the overall classification, which was ultimately won by Adrián Benedito.
Despite this, the weekend was a very positive experience for the team, thanks to Barroso’s stage victory and the strong performance of SCOTT Cala Bandida throughout much of the competition, in a particularly challenging edition of the Far West Race SCOTT. Furthermore, the collaboration with ISB SPORT and their high-end bearings offered the team flawless performance even in extreme mud and rain conditions, demonstrating their reliability and durability and directly contributing to the competitiveness of the SCOTT Cala Bandida team throughout the race.