Sandra Gomez finished 2021 Red Bull Romaniacs Gold Class in 29th place- the only female to race and complete the grueling 4 day race for 2nd consecutive year. Clocking up total race time of 33 hours.1 minute.27 seconds, the awe inspiring Spaniard overcame every obstacle including ill health to claim victory amongst 31 finishers.
If one goal remained uppermost in Sandra’s mind, it was to finish every day of the Red Bull Edition 18 Vertical Madness, massive task in itself given the unrelenting terrain riders traversed. From completing Prologue in P40 place to finishing Day 1 in P33, Gomez stuck it out to do it all again 4x over.
Heat, maintaining rhythm, and drinking enough water were top of the list right from Day 1, as Sandra realized running out of water took it’s toll, vomiting at end of day. With little appetite to eat starting Day 2, Sandra explains how tough racing was:
‘Day 2: I was hydrating alot, eating small snacks. The trail was very intense and the heat even more so. Before the service stop I ran out of water, I stopped in a river and filled my backpack with water. I stopped in another river to get in because the heat was taking it’s toll. At the end, spectators emptied my backpack and filled it with clean water on one of the hardest trails’.
With relentless mental capacity to start Day 3 with less strength, energy and vitality, Gomez made calculating decisions to stick with a rider ahead, making most of pull-factor, all the while suffering in silence til Day 3 finish line. Day 4 was last battle of the race, as Sandra re-tells:
‘I couldn’t go fast in an easy way. The rivers were wearing me out alot and I would stop to put my legs in for a second or wet my back with water. I took it at my own pace and made my objective to arrive every day and without penalties. Now I have a winter edition (2020) and a summer edition on me’.
If finishing Red Bull Romaniacs is hardest accomplishment, as results reveal 31 riders completed Gold Class from 47 riders entered, hours on bike verges on extreme test of endurance. Sandra clocked up- Day 1: 7h 59m 47s, Day 2: 9h 41m 22s, Day 3: 6h 27m 22s and Day 4: 7h 52m 31s, crossing the Final Finish line elated, relieved, exhausted and thankful for her success.
For now, Gomez claims ultimate prize of racing and finishing 2021 Red Bull Romaniacs Gold Class as only female rider 2 years in a row.
Header Photo: Sandra Gomez Red Bull Romaniacs Photo Credit: igorod
Words: Sharon Cox.
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