The bikers Hans Becking, José Dias, Janina Wüst, Peter Pruus, Txell Figueras and Hugo Drechou will compete this Sunday in the MTB XCO Marathon World Championship
Igualada, Wednesday, 2 August 2023.- Six cyclists from six different countries will have the honour of representing the BUFF®-MEGAMO team in the Mountain Bike World Championships this Sunday, 6 August, in Glasgow. All six will compete in the MTB XCO Marathon World Championship along a spectacular route through Glentress Forest in Scotland, over a punishing 96.5 kilometres and 3,200 meters of elevation change.
The BUFF®-MEGAMO bikers who will be at the 2023 Mountain Bike World Championship with their respective national teams are the Spanish cyclist Txell Figueras, Hans Becking from the Netherlands, Switzerland’s Janina Wüst, Peter Pruus from Estonia, Hugo Drechou from France and Portugal’s José Dias.
The BUFF®-MEGAMO, Team Manager Pau Zamora, believes that the World Championship is “the most important one day race of the season. Together with the Cape Epic, these are the two biggest dates on our calendar”. That’s why, “our cycling team is featuring cyclists from six different countries at this global race, proving that we are a highly competitive, top tier team”. Zamora assures that “our bikers can reap great results, because unlike last year’s circuit, this one is harder and more specific, and it’s more suited to Marathon racers. This can be really positive for us”.
The cyclists’ expectations
The six bikers on the BUFF®-MEGAMO TEAM 2023 who will be in Scotland are going to fight for medals and seek to improve on the results in the European Championships held on 11 February in Roc Laissagais (France).
Txell Figueras, who’s been a member of the BUFF®-MEGAMO family for two years, has been called up by the Spanish national team to compete in the XCO Marathon race in what will be her first time participating in the World Championships. Figueras claims that “for me, debuting means seeing what happens without pressure. It’s also a sign of trust and a shot of energy to keep fighting and believing in myself.” The Spanish cyclist highlights that “I want to make the most of the experience and give it my all. I’m really excited to see the final result”, she adds.
At 37 years old, the Netherlands’ Hans Becking says that “I feel pretty good. I haven’t raced much lately based on my standards, but I’ve trained a lot of hours. I’m getting in better shape for the World Championships and I’m feeling stronger as the days come closer. In Scotland we’ll see some real MTB! The final part looks grueling and the competition will be really intense as always”, he highlights.
For her part, the Swiss cyclist Janina Wüst, who debuted with BUFF®-MEGAMO this season, says that “I’ve been preparing at home for the last few weeks for the World Championships. I’m happy with the progress I’ve made. I’m sure the route in Scotland will be mountainous and the pace will be frenetic from the start. I don’t like thinking about a specific result, my goal for this race is to give my best that day”.
Now 28 years old, José Dias was the bronze medal winner in the 2021 World Championships and is the Portuguese MTB XCO 2023 national champion. The Portuguese biker claims that “I’ve spent weeks of hard work thinking about this race. I hope that everything goes as planned. I’m thrilled to face this challenge. Last year was a complicated time because of an injury that dogged me for several months and I hope I’m much more competitive this year. This race is really important for me, and my dream is to get a good result once again”.
Hugo Drechou, the runner up in the 2023France MTB XCO Championship, states that “I’ve been feeling better over the last two months. I’m not going to the World Championships as a favorite, but as an outsider. Last year’s pace surprised me a lot, this year I’m prepared to start strong, especially because we’re not starting with a climb. The goal will be to save up my strength for three hours for the last climb, after that it’s almost all downhill, which is one of my strengths. I only have one request: I’m hoping for a lot of rain to make it the most technical race possible!”, he exclaims.
Lastly, Estonia’s Peeter Pruus, the national champion of the 2023 Estonia MTB XCO Championship, believes that “The World Championships are always a special race, the most important one of the year. I’m a bit nervous, but also excited to fight for the rainbow jersey. Our preparation has gone well, there are only a few races to go, but we’ll do the best we can with tough and specific training sessions. Motivation is always sky high for a race like this”, he says.
The MEGAMO bicycle for the World Championships
MEGAMO, the bike manufacturer headquartered in Girona, is the main sponsor of the team that will compete in the World Championships with the Megamo Track R120 with 120 mm of rear suspension in its Super Light carbon version. It will be mounted with a 120 mm Fox 34 SC fork, with Fulcrum Red Zone Carbon wheels and Pirelli Scorpion XC RC or M tyres. The team will also use Panzer EVO anti-puncture mousse, which can be key in these types of races.
The Megamo Track bicycles will also be equipped with the 160 mm Galfer Shark disc brakes, the Selle Italia seat (in different versions based on each rider’s preference) and the Fox Transfer SL telescopic seatpost.
Upcoming goals
This season the team is facing an ambitious competition schedule with many stage races, combined with one day MTB XCO races. Once the MTB World Championships are over, the next goals include the Swiss National MTB XCO Championship on 13 August, featuring Janina Wüst, and the Swiss Epic stage race (between 15 and 22 August) which will include Hans Becking and Peeter Pruus.
Meanwhile, Enrique Morcillo is preparing for his debut in ultra-distance races which will take place during Badlands in early September.
The BUFF® – MEGAMO team continues to move forward in the 2023 season with a firm social and environmental commitment and a strong team of sponsors behind us that are doing everything necessary so that our bikers can give it their all in every competition.
