SCOTT Cala Bandida makes its gravel debut with a strong performance at Utopia Gravel
SCOTT Cala Bandida has kicked off its gravel season with an outstanding performance by José Mari Sánchez at the Utopia Gravel, held in Baza (Granada), where the team has been competing directly with the world’s elite since its debut in the discipline.
The event brought together a top-class international field, featuring leading riders such as Nino Schurter, Alejandro Valverde, David Valero, Tiago Ferreira and Luis León Sánchez, which raised the stakes from the very first kilometres and turned the race into a true sporting spectacle.
José Mari Sánchez put in an outstanding performance, riding for much of the race in the leading group and demonstrating excellent form at the start of the season. Around the 90-kilometre mark, he launched an attack that managed to break up the group, allowing him to ride solo for several kilometres.
In the final stretch, as he emerged from the gruelling Gorafe desert, a stomach problem forced him to abandon the race with crucial kilometres still to go. Despite this, the rider’s feelings and overall performance are very positive.
Regardless of the result, the team’s performance has been highly satisfactory: competing at the front of the pack alongside world-class riders in their first gravel race has boosted SCOTT Cala Bandida’s confidence ahead of upcoming competitions, in a discipline that is rapidly growing for the team.
The audiovisual coverage of the event was provided by @pacocamacho98 on video and @patassat in photography, delivering valuable content that captures the intensity and competitive level experienced at Utopia Gravel.
SCOTT Cala Bandida will continue to work in the coming weeks to further develop in this discipline, with the ambition of establishing itself among the leading teams on the international gravel scene.
We at ISB Sport would like to congratulate the team on their debut and their performance, and remind everyone that they competed using ISB Sport bicycle bearings, synonymous with reliability and high performance in competition.
