A strong debut with second and third place in the first UCI World Gravel Series race.
José Mari Sánchez and Enrique Morcillo showed just how eager they were to compete in a gravel race by both stepping onto the podium at the UCI Gravel World Series, securing second and third place in the race.
The 114 Gravel Race took place this weekend, starting in Badajoz (Spain) and finishing in Elvas (Portugal). With a field of riders from over 30 countries and qualifying points for the World Cup, the race was highly competitive.
Here are the stats taken from José Mari Sánchez’s bike computer at the end of the race:
38.1 km/h average speed, a normalized power of 335w, an average heart rate of 164 bpm, and a race time of 3h13’ covering a distance of 123 km.
These are extraordinary numbers that reflect the effort, sacrifice, and talent of both riders, as well as the demanding nature of the race to reach the top.
Both José Mari and Morcillo had to fight for their positions in a final sprint with a rival. In José Mari’s case, he managed to escape in the final kilometers but was eventually caught, and in the last few meters, his sprint didn’t go as planned, leaving him in second place. Meanwhile, for Enrique, the final sprint worked in his favor, as he found extra strength at the last moment to secure a well-deserved bronze.
What a debut! We can’t wait to see what this season has in store for the Scott Cala Bandida riders.
