The presentation highlighted the main lines of the new edition and announced the new aspects prepared for the new events to take place from 26 April through to May 2009 in Morocco. The organisers took advantage of the occasion to present the new website (www.Nissan-titandesert.com) for the competition, which will act as a point of contact among participants, the organisers and the press.
The competition is considered one of the hardest mountain bike races and will mark its fourth year in 2009. Since its inception, the Race has met all of its goals and stands ready to continue as a leading name in mountain bike adventure and sport within the unparalleled background of northern Africa. One of the most important new aspects of the 4th edition will be mega-stage of 230 km that will pluck the resistance of all of the participants to the test.
The race is a gruelling five day challenge in the desert with riders putting up with high temperatures and a treacherous course ranging over all of the stages for a total of close to 500 km. This year the organizers have reduced the sand segments that cannot be ridden and has increased the difficulty by adding more mountain stages and a long navigation stage.
Following the success earned in previous years, with high level cyclists giving testimony to the category of the event and competing shoulder to shoulder with amateur riders, the race is truly earning its stripes in this fourth edition with a new starting and finishing line in the city of Ouarzazate.
A top name in Spanish cycling Melcior Mauri , a regular rider in the Titan Desert and winner of the 2007 edition, had this to say about the competition: "I am very proud to be one of the winners of the NISSAN TITAN DESERT MTB MARATHON, a race that is getting more and more challenging every year. I believe that one of the key is to know where your places during the course, which is the advice I would give new riders in the 2009 edition. Among the new aspects, one of my favourites is the navigation stage, which I think will be a good challenge for everyone and a good opportunity for those that know how to overcome this difficulty"
Roberto Heras, another presenter in the event and winner of the 2008 NISSAN TITAN DESERT MTB MARATHON, commented "The truth is that in the beginning I did not think it was going to be such a difficult and beautiful challenge, representing not only physical fatigue but also extreme mental fatigue. The most gratifying aspect of the race is the environment, the people with whom you live and share unforgettable experiences".
