The Spanish Francis Smith (Cannondale TB), winner of the fourth stage and leader of the Titan Desertintended his doublet and red jersey “to the deceased companion” last Tuesday at the Mohammed VI Hospital in Marrakech, a fact that is in the memory of all the titans who survived a tough edition marked by the heat of the endless Moroccan desert.
A minute of silence in memory of Ernest Escolano He launched the peloton from Fezzou to the magnificent enclave of the Erg Chebbi dunes, on a 116 km journey across the vast rocky and sandy plains of this Sahara region. A quieter day than previous days. The spirits were angry at Ernesto’s absence.
This is the stage of hearts. Those who beat sadly at the exit of Fezzou and those who formed the small chain of mountains shaped very similar to the vital organs surrounding the plain. In Hassania, the language spoken in the Sahara, they refer to the “flame”, the hearts, when they travel to these lands without hospitality.
A stage of intuition, of impulses, but controlled by its forces. Spirits are not enough. The group of favorites is controlled and grouped all the time, even if the rebellion attempts have some relevance. Roberto Bou broke his bike and forgot about the stage and about helping Herrero, and French “Tour man” Sylvain Chavanel jumped in to navigate, but it went wrong. and they pursued after him.
The selected platoon will roll in cooperation, as in a non-aggression pact. Eventually, 7 men came to the magnificent sands of Erg Chebbi to compete for sprint victory. The fastest was Francisco Herrero, Spanish marathon champion.
He achieved the double in a time of 4:34:30, at a “low” average of 25.5 km/hour, in conjunction with Oriol Colomer and Konny Looser. The Swiss, who has no mountains, is suffering, though the title defender has a heart.
And in general, Segovian can no longer exceed the range. He is a true leader and aspires to the title. Get ahead in just 3 seconds more looseand in over 11 to pau marza. A technical tie that is likely to be removed on stage this Thursday, key for the red jersey.
“I feel good, but on Titan every day is a world, the body does not always recover the same, it is an insane experience. The desert put me at the limit and I discovered what this race is, which put me at the limit. I have a lot of respect for everyone who does this. I dedicate the victory to the comrade who died yesterday ”, said an emotional Fran Herrero.
As for his chances of winning the title, Herrero is confident in his chances, but the Swiss rival is considering him.
“The two of us are close, and he has a lot of walking. In this race anything can happen and there are two important stages left.”
hat trick by Anna Ramirez
For women, Catalan is once again difficult Anna Ramirezwho achieved his third victory in this edition and is on his way to scoring his fourth Titan.
Ramírez won in a time of 5: 07.17, at 22.6 km/hour, defeating his closest enemy, the Namibian Vera Looserwhich is second in the overall classification, more than 5 minutes behind Spanish.
The surroundings of Erg Chebbi, the golden sands, will be the scene of the fifth stage with a route of 105 km and a drop of 879 meters. The first section will be compulsory navigation, as the path will not be marked. The second part will be ups and downs in a rocky area, a “leg breaker”, and the third part will have the option to fly on beautiful railroads near the town of Merzouga. Titan continues to beat.
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Source: La Verdad

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