Škoda Titan Desert Stage 4: Betalú Will Never Cease to Be Betalú

By We Love Cycling

Josep Betalú is known in the Škoda Titan Desert Morocco peloton as ‘the fox of the desert’. A nickname that highlights both his dominance in the race as well as his cunning and intelligence in the riding. The KH7 rider may never have been the one who pushed the hardest or climbed the best, but his undeniable track record proves that, in this race, it’s as much about the head as it is about the legs.

He came to this edition after his worst year in the Titan World Series – away from the leading positions and with a fall in the Moroccan race that made him abandon in the first stage. To make things worse, just three months ago, he had to undergo surgery on his knee. But being an excellent navigator and strategist, he knew there’s more to the Škoda Titan Desert Morocco than physical condition.

Thus, there was soon a leading group in stage 4, in which race favourites alternated at the top. First Fran Herrero, on the way up to the first checkpoint, then Tomi Misser, in the middle of the navigation section, and, finally, the two leaders of the general classification, Looser and Betalú – and Josep Betalú took the lead.

The leading trio, Betalú, Looser and Herrero, arrived in a group and the ‘fox of the desert’ crossed the finish line first. Despite the injuries, the 130-kilometre marathon stage and the pain in his legs, Betalú is still Betalú and clever mind is worth as much as good legs in the Škoda Titan Desert Morocco.

If the men’s GC has not moved much, the women’s GC has been practically sealed. Vera Looser has widened the gap with her immediate rivals. In fact, Marta Romeu who, until now, was third in the general classification, has fallen behind.

Ariadna Ródenas took Romeu’s place on the podium, behind Looser and Tessa Kortekaas. The Elche native was also the winner of today’s stage. It is the first time Kortekaas has won a stage in the Škoda Titan Desert Morocco since 2021.

20 minutes behind the Namibian in the GC, Romeu has not been able to confirm the excellent promise she showed in the Škoda Titan Desert Almería 2022 and the NEOM Titan Desert Saudi Arabia. However, she is still one of the strongest riders in the peloton and as such she has been able to prove it today.

Stage 4 Men’s Results

Pos. Name Club Country Official Time Real Time
1 JOSEP BETALÚ KH7 SPAIN 04:40:02 04:39:58
2 FRAN HERRERO CANNONDALE VAS ARABAY SPAIN 04:40:02 04:39:59
3 KONNY LOOSER TEAM KOSNER-SALTOKI HOME SWITZERLAND 04:40:02 04:39:59
4 ROBERTO BOU CANNONDALE VAS ARABAY SPAIN 04:42:41 04:42:38
5 ORIOL COLOME KH7 SPAIN 04:50:41 04:50:37
6 PIERRE BILLAUD TEAM HEXATRI FRANCE 04:52:12 04:52:10
7 PAU MARZA TEAM KOSNER-SALTOKI HOME SPAIN 04:52:13 04:52:13
8 TOMI MISSER SKODA WE LOVE CYCLING SPAIN 04:52:13 04:52:02
9 HAIMAR ZUBELDIA KRYPTEIA SPAIN 04:54:09 04:54:06
10 MIQUEL ESCOLÀ TEAM KOSNER-SALTOKI HOME SPAIN 04:55:26 04:55:21

Stage 4 Women’s Results

Pos. Name Club Country Official time Real time
1 ARIADNA RODENAS MONDRAKER SPAIN 05:25:21 05:25:16
2 VERA LOOSER TEAM KOSNER-SALTOKI HOME GERMANY 05:25:21 05:25:20
3 TESSA KORTEKAAS TEAM KOSNER-SALTOKI HOME NETHERLANDS 05:29:59 05:29:56
4 NAIMA MADLEN DIESNER KH7 GERMANY 05:42:24 05:42:12
5 PILAR FERNANDEZ TEAM KOSNER-SALTOKI HOME SPAIN 05:43:47 05:43:40
6 MARTA ROMEU KRYPTEIA SPAIN 05:43:47 05:43:38
7 TUNGUI CUENCO GESA SPORT SPAIN 05:58:40 05:58:24
8 MÓNICA CALDERON CANNONDALE VAS ARABAY COLOMBIA 06:48:34 06:48:26
9 MISHA SEKULOVA SKODA WE LOVE CYCLING SPAIN 07:00:00 06:59:43
10 ANNA PUJOL INDEPENDIENTE SPAIN 07:03:46 07:03:07