NEOM Titan Desert Saudi Arabia seeks new King and Queen
15/11/2024Up to 250 Titans start next Monday the NEOM Titan Desert Saudi Arabia adventure. Stories of overcoming, stories of love for cycling, adventure and also, for a handful of riders, stories of the quest for victory.
Main contenders who will seek to take the throne that remains vacant after neither of the two winners of 2023 repeat in this edition.
In the women’s draw, all eyes are on Tessa Kortekaas. Few women know what it is to dominate an event as she has done in Titan World Series. The Dutch rider has worn a bib five times in these races and has won four times. Her only defeat was, precisely, at the 2023 NEOM Titan Desert Saudi Arabia.
Kortekaas’ body gave out in the second stage of last year’s edition and, for the first time, she was unable to claim the winner’s title. Now, the Cannondale ISB Sport rider will try to become the only woman who knows what it means to win five Titan World Series races.
Facing her will be the two women who completed the podium last year and who will try to repeat their success: Eva Lamela and Moroj Adil. Also fighting will be a Titan World Series veteran like Pili Fernández and rookies coming from the WorldTour, like Sophie Wright. All to challenge Tessa’s uncontested dominance.
MORCILLO’S SUCCESSOR
In the men’s elite, the road riders are eager to take over the NEOM Titan Desert Saudi Arabia. Two names that are history in Spanish cycling and that in 2023 were very close to winning the Saudi race will try to climb steps in 2024: Luis León Sánchez and Haimar Zubeldia.
In the absence of Enrique Morcillo, reigning champion of the race, the names of former WorldTour pros seem to be the favorites. In addition to ‘Luisle’ and Zubeldia, Peter Sagan, Daniel Oss or Koen de Kort sound to be in the top positions.
They will not have it easy, because there is also a list of pure ‘bikers’ who already know well the Titan World Series races: Vicente Quiles, Julen Zubero, Pablo Guerrero or Oriol Colomé, among others.
Two vacant thrones for a new king and a new queen who are candidates to win the NEOM Titan Desert Saudi Arabia trophy for the first time.
