The Škoda We Love Cycling stage was over 100 kilometres long and was one of the most hilly of recent editions, but it all came down to the classic photo finish of the last two editions, with a tight sprint between the two riders who look the strongest.
The outcome, however, was a little different this time. Looser was able to pull within a second of Herrero in the last few metres. A second that, for the moment, seems key and that allows Looser to wear the red leader’s jersey for the first time.
The main contenders arrived grouped together at the base of the climb that marked the start of the Škoda Challenge. From there, they each started with their own strategy. The two protagonists rode close together and the one who could stand out as the big surprise of the edition, Pierre Billaud, decided to go for it and not stop until the summit, which he crowned in first place.
In the last kilometres, Roberto Bou, Herrero and Looser navigated in the desert and cut back on Billaud. The three leading riders reached the finish line together, but the first to cross the finish line was the Swiss rider, who is now wearing the red that he knows so well and hopes to wear until the end.
In the women’s GC, it’s all down to the Kosner – Saltoki Home team. Vera Looser remains the leader and her teammate, Tessa Kortekaas, won today’s stage.
About 200 metres from the finish line, the Dutch triathlete decided to attack in order to leave no chance for the victory to escape off of her team. In this way, Kortekaas debuts his her in the race, in what is her first participation in the Škoda Titan Desert Morocco.
The GC has less change, with Vera Looser who is the clear leader over Kortekaas herself and Marta Romeu.
Stage 1 Mens Results
| Pos. | Name | Country | Official Time | Real Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KONNY LOOSER | SWITZERLAND | 03:43:13 | 03:43:13 | |||
| 2 | FRAN HERRERO | SPAIN | 03:43:14 | 03:43:14 | |||
| 3 | ROBERTO BOU | SPAIN | 03:43:19 | 03:43:19 | |||
| 4 | PIERRE BILLAUD | FRANCE | 03:44:54 | 03:44:54 | |||
| 5 | JOSEP BETALÚ | SPAIN | 03:47:13 | 03:47:13 | |||
| 6 | HAIMAR ZUBELDIA | SPAIN | 03:47:13 | 03:47:13 | |||
| 7 | MIGUEL MUÑOZ | SPAIN | 03:49:56 | 03:49:56 | |||
| 8 | DARIO GADEO | SPAIN | 03:49:56 | 03:49:56 | |||
| 9 | DAVID ARROYO | SPAIN | 03:53:08 | 03:53:08 | |||
| 10 | PAU MARZA | SPAIN | 03:53:09 | 03:53:09 |
Stage 2 Women’s Results
| Pos. | Name | Country | Official Time | Real Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TESSA KORTEKAAS | NETHERLANDS | 04:21:03 | 04:21:03 | |||
| 2 | VERA LOOSER | GERMANY | 04:21:04 | 04:21:04 | |||
| 3 | MARTA ROMEU | SPAIN | 04:21:10 | 04:21:10 | |||
| 4 | ARIADNA RODENAS | SPAIN | 04:21:16 | 04:21:16 | |||
| 5 | PILAR FERNANDEZ | SPAIN | 04:30:12 | 04:30:12 | |||
| 6 | NAIMA MADLEN DIESNER | GERMANY | 04:46:57 | 04:46:57 | |||
| 7 | MÓNICA CALDERON | COLOMBIA | 04:51:39 | 04:51:39 | |||
| 8 | TUNGUI CUENCO | SPAIN | 04:56:04 | 04:56:04 | |||
| 9 | ESTEFANIA GUTIERREZ | SPAIN | 04:59:28 | 04:59:28 | |||
| 10 | MISHA SEKULOVA | SPAIN | 05:19:31 | 05:19:31 |
