The penultimate round of the Spanish Hard Enduro Championship was held this weekend in the town of Anieves (Oviedo), where the Rieju Team with Francesc Moret was the leader of the competition. The race initially stood out for being faster and somewhat less technical than usual, despite this, during the course the riders encountered various river crossings and muddy areas that left the terrain equally complex, wet and very slippery.
On Saturday, Francesc Moret already showed his intentions with a very competitive ride, finishing the first lap in first position, while in the second lap, with the terrain drying out quickly, he finished fourth after being overtaken by some of his rivals; an equally appropriate position, taking into account that the riders would start on Sunday in grids of five, so Francesc would also start with the first group.
On Sunday, with slightly drier conditions, the competition was long and equally tough. From the start, Francesc Moret fought an intense battle with another of his rivals, in which during the day the positions at the head of the race were constantly changing, with a minimal difference between the two of them. On reaching the last lap, the forces began to weaken, at which point Francesc took the opportunity to attack, overtaking his rival who he left behind and reaching the end of the race with a difference of about 12 minutes. This gave Francesc Moret a well-deserved victory, which allows him to maintain his position as leader of the Spanish Championship in the Elite Senior class, with one race to go.
His team-mate in the Rieju Team, Eloi Salsench, recovering from a long injury, competed in Oviedo. On Saturday, Eloi was among the first eight riders, although he felt he lacked pace, while on Sunday he started out in the second group and was more motivated. At a complex point of the course, with riders trapped, Eloi managed to overtake several of them, a manoeuvre that allowed him to move up to the provisional fifth position. A few kilometres further on, in a crash, he broke the rear brake pedal, which caused him to lose time and positions once again. Overcoming the problems, he was able to continue in the race, crossing the finish line and finishing sixth overall and fifth in the Elite Senior class.
The next round, the last one for the Spanish Hard Enduro Championship, will be held in Almedina, Ciudad Real, on the 5th and 6th of November.
