The double winner of the Spanish Open BBT Marathon and the Ultramarathon Master 60 in 2021, Manuel García, has once again climbed to the top of the podium in 2022 after he was proclaimed Spanish Cup Champion in the XCUM Master 60 cycling category.
Manuel García, member of the Mojácar club “Los Saltapitas”, has yet another year shown himself to be unbeatable on a mountain bike, as well as having physical strength and perfect preparation.
Following two trial classifications in Jaén and Galicia, it was finally in Ejulve, Aragón, where Manuel García was proclaimed champion of Spain.
The route proposed by the organisation was especially tough:160 kilometres and a 4,500 elevation. The demands of the route made his victory even more praiseworthy.
The XCUM category corresponds to the acronym of Cross Country Ultra Marathon, an especially rigorous trial staged on longer routes than other mountain bike categories.
Our champion always dedicates special words to his “saltapitas” companions, as it is with them that he always trains and with whom he began his competition journey.
According to him, “the Moro track” and the climb to “El Jalí” were of great help to him in this latest trial in which he was declared champion as “they were very similar.”
When the competition season ends, it is easy to spot him, along with his fellow “saltapitas” cyclists, riding all the trails in Mojácar and Sierra Cabrera. According to Manuel García, perseverance is very important to have excellent physical shape, which helps when it comes to tackling these exhaustive competitions.
In a week he will start with his cardio-vascular exercises to “train the heart”, and then he will get back out on his bike again to “do some kilometres.”
Manuel García wants to highlight, once again, that he carries “a saltapitas in his soul”. He was virtually one of the founders, nearly 15 years ago. This club has been the springboard and the motivation for dedicating himself to this sport, in which in the 10 years since he started to “seriously” compete in the Spanish championship he has achieved third position in two seasons, runner-up on another occasion, two years champion in the BBT category, and now champion once again in an even more difficult trial, as the ultra-marathon is.
On the horizon for 2023, Manuel García has another challenge: the European and the World Championships.
There is still no set calendar for either event, but Manuel is now back out on his mountain bike, riding around the landscapes of Mojácar so that, when the time comes, he will again show that in his category it is not going to be easy to leave him behind.
