La Leyenda 2017 - 100 days to Go

This is a special Newsflash to announce that there are now just 100 days to go until La Leyenda del Dorado 2017, Colombia's premier event for amateur and professional mountain bikers! If you haven't signed up yet, what are you waiting for? Check out the website for all the information about the race route, logistics and registrations. You can also help us choose the design for our Official Race Bottle on our Facebook page over the next few days.

The Champs are Back!

One of the great spectacles of competitive sport is watching Champions defend their titles after previous success, the extra mental challenge required to fend off aspiring contenders has provided numerous memorable sporting battles over the years. It consequently gives us great pleasure to confirm that the inaugural Leyenda Elite Men's Champions, Colombians Leonardo Páez and Diego Arias, will be coming back to defend their title in La Leyenda 2017. Leonardo and Diego had a great race last year and received a raucous reception in every single town on the route, thus making it an easy decision for them to return home for their second Leyenda where they'll be giving their all to keep the coveted crown.


Both riders have already been very active this season and Leonardo is fresh from finishing fourth in the Cape Epic in South Africa and can't wait to race in Colombia once more telling us,

"I'm already counting the days to return to Colombia. It was very special last year being able to see my country in a different way, and obviously winning La Leyenda too with Diego. We'll do our best to win the race again, but it'll be difficult with such a strong lineup."

Diego's based in Italy, like Leonardo, where he now races for Giant Italia and is also looking forward to coming back home to be cheered on by his local fans. As well as La Leyenda, Diego has set his goal of being 2017 Marathon World Champion, which takes place in Germany just over a month prior La Leyenda, so we can be sure that he'll be arriving in Colombia in top shape and ready to take on the unique Colombian climbs in the department of Caldas.

"The route looks very interesting, although a little shorter this year. I'm excited about the high altitude parts as it's an extra physical challenge, and those landscapes amaze me," said Diego.

Both Leonardo and Diego are from Boyacá which is located at a higher altitude than Caldas overall and where they trained extensively as youngsters. It goes without saying that Leonardo and Diego are now two of the world's top marathon mountain bikers and to be able to count on their participation is a tremendous honour for us all at La Leyenda. The male lineup is extremely strong this year with three-time World Champion, Christoph Sauser also returning, as well as Dutch Champion, Hans Becking, Brazilian 'One-Two' Halysson Ferreira and Alysson Tigrinho and Pau Zamora and Joan Llordella from Team Buff-Scott (read below) all aiming to take first place overall which should make La Leyenda a thrilling spectacle for spectators and fellow racers alike. One of the main attractions of multi-stage mountain bike races is to be an amateur cyclist and race alongside these Legends, seeing first hand what it takes to be Champions like Leo and Diego. We'll be welcoming them to Manizales in 99 days time, will you be joining them?

Buff - Our New Sponsor and Pro Team in La Leyenda!

Buff are a company with the outdoors at their core. Based in Barcelona, Spain, their versatile headwear can be used for a variety of activities, from keeping your neck warm during winter sport activities, as a sweatband around your wrist when running or even as a dust mask when mountain biking in dry conditions. They are consequently a perfect sponsor a mountain bike event like La Leyenda and we're very pleased to be able to announce our partnership with them. Buff will be supplying their specially designed UV Buffs which provide an extra layer of protection against harmful ultra-violet rays and so will prove especially useful in the two high altitude stages, as well as providing an added level of warmth on those chilly descents.


As well as being a sponsor of La Leyenda, we can also confirm the participation of Team Buff-Scott MTB, led by 2016 Legend Pau Zamora. They're also based in Barcelona and this time Pau, who is now Team Manager, will be racing with fellow professional Joan Lloredella. Buff-Scott are a fixture in all the biggest races around the world and it's been very pleasing to see so many riders, both professional and amateur, who raced in 2016 come back for the second Leyenda. Pau was certainly very keen to return after riding with Adriá Noguera last year, telling us:

"The people and landscapes amazed me last year. I hope to be able to enjoy it as much as or more than last year with Joan, a partner who I've shared so many adventures with."

Joan is Buff-Scott's most experienced rider, having finished the Cape Epic five times, including this year, and twice amongst the top 15 riders. He's also won the Trans-Pyrenees in Spain and the Transandes in Chile, as well a podium finish in the Titan Desert, amongst other races. It'll be therefore interesting to see how he copes with the Colombian climbs, but Pau will obviously be giving him tips from his experience last year.

"We'll probably do some more hours on the bike than normal and look for higher and longer ascents during training, which will be more like those in La Leyenda," said Pau, when asked about how the team's plan prior to the race.

The Spanish riders from Buff-Scott are one of the 18 nationalities already confirmed amongst the Leyenda line up and we're sure they'll once again enjoy the challenge of riding through the Colombian Andes and interacting with the locals in the towns. Colombia's passion for cycling makes La Leyenda a race where all riders receive pro-like receptions at the end of stages, something that Pau thoroughly enjoyed last year, and that you and your partner can also enjoy in the magical landscapes of South America's most enthralling country.

http://mailchi.mp/2b3e55bab972/newsflash-la-leyenda-2017-100-days-until-la-leyenda-and-the-champs-are-back

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MENTIONS: @LaLeyendaColombia

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