The Škoda Titan Desert Morocco is one of the most recognized races for cyclists around the world. An epic adventure, an incredible sporting challenge and an unparalleled coexistence experience. Many people wonder: “Will I be able to do it? Is it too demanding for me? That's out of my reach?".
Luckily, for those people who may have more doubts about whether the Moroccan adventure is for them, since its creation in 2006, the Škoda Titan Desert Morocco has experienced the birth of two sister races: the Škoda Titan Desert Almería and the NEOM Titan Desert Saudi Arabia. Although they all have the same spirit, each one has its own characteristics that make it unique.
The case of the Škoda Titan Desert Almería is paradigmatic. In 2024 it faces its fifth edition, between October 5 and 8, and it has already become a challenge in itself. However, as many of the Titans who have done it agree, the Almeria race is, surely, the ideal gateway to the Titan World Series universe.
Its proximity, in the middle of the Tabernas desert; Her coexistence in a four-star hotel in Cabo de Gata, her own logistics and the fact that she has two stages less than her Moroccan older sister have made it the perfect place to start in these adventure.
Perhaps those who know this best are the dozens of professional racers who have taken the start of the Škoda Titan Desert Almería. This is how, for example, David Arroyo, Giro d'Italia podium finisher and professional World Tour cyclist for almost two decades, sees it.
“For me, Almería is a great way to get started,” explains the cyclist from La Mancha. “It may not be the same as what you will find in Morocco, but it teaches you many things that you will later face.”
Even more forceful is the double Spanish mountainbike champion and winner of the first edition of the Škoda Titan Desert Almería, Sergio Mantecón: “Personally, I think that whoever wants to do Morocco has to start in Almería.”
“On a sporting level, Almería is not far from Morocco, but anything happens here and you are at home. In Morocco you are a little more out of place if it is your first Titan,” adds the Valencian cyclist.
And yet, the essence remains. Nobody doubts that this is a Titan World Series race. Not only because of its high sporting challenge, which mixes the desert challenge of Tabernas with climbs to historic passes such as the Velefique peak, but because of something that is inherent to the Titan World Series: its unparalleled coexistence.
“I think that is where they are most similar: in coexistence. Going to Almería means getting together with many of the Titans that you can later find in Morocco or Arabia, getting to know them, sharing with them and soaking up the atmosphere there,” Arroyo emphasizes.
Mantecón shares the opinion of the runner from Talavera de la Reina: “There are not many sporting differences, perhaps the most important is the issue of navigation, going off the track and improvising, which does not exist in Almería. But at a sporting and coexistence level there is not much difference, although each of them is unique in its own way.”
This is the Škoda Titan Desert Almería. A unique, accessible race, but with all the spirit and challenge that characterizes the Titan World Series.
