In addition to the inherent difficulties of the race, due to it being very technical and full of slopes, the strong wind of the weekend posed an added difficulty for the 200 athletes participating in the Yaiza Extremo Sur 2021, who competed on Saturday in 30 and 45 kilometers of mountain bike (MTB), with close to 100 registered participants adding both modalities, and 100 more athletes who completed the 13 and 21 kilometer mountain running courses this Sunday. Samuel Rodríguez, winner in MTB 45 km, and Aitor Navarro, winner in trail 21 km, inscribe their names at the top of the honor roll of this race surrounded by spectacular landscapes of southern Lanzarote.
Yaiza continues to enjoy the joy of reconnecting with sports, the public and athletes, and of competing again, adapting the races to the current reality imposed by the pandemic and the restrictions ordered by the health authorities. The Yaiza Extremo Sur determined the staggered start by groups of maximum 20 people in such a way that the podium was known once the times were contrasted with the arrival at the finish line of all the participants of the different modalities.
The mayor of Yaiza, Óscar Noda, emphasizes that "Yaiza once again demonstrates that it is possible to activate sports while complying with the protocols against covid and respecting the environment", a statement more than confirmed by the Councilor for Sports, Ángel Lago, who recalls the celebration on August 28 of the Bestial Race and on September 4 of the I RallySprint Yaiza, "two competitions that confirm us as an active municipality that continues to lead sports promotion in Lanzarote, lending a hand to the recovery of the local economy".
The public is gradually getting encouraged and the presence of fans at the start and finish line in the Plaza de los Remedios and entire families who were in passing areas in Las Casitas, Femés, Los Ajaches and Yaiza are one more sign of the desire to integrate and breathe through sports activity.
Winners in MTB
Samuel Rodríguez, who already won the first edition of the Yaiza Extremo Sur last December, once again imposed a difficult pace to match. The mountain biker, with a time of 2:06 hours for the 45 km, won escorted by José Agustín Pérez, at 3:48 min, and José David Suárez, who arrived at 4:21 from Rodríguez.
The brand new MTB winner congratulated the municipality of Yaiza "because last year it was the only mountain bike race that was held on the Island and taking out this second edition in this way, you are promoting MTB in Lanzarote, so I am happy to enjoy the bike again. It is what we like, to see each other's faces and be able to enjoy this sport that we are passionate about".
The Yaiza Extremo Sur premiered in its second edition the starter MTB mode of 30 km, with a podium for Eduardo González, winner marking 1:20 hours, Kevin Cabrera, second classified at 3:35 min, and Gelo Viera, third classified who finished at 4:54 from González.
Winners in trail
The trail day crowned Aitor Navarro in the long distance. Aitor also knows what it is to climb the podium of the Yaiza Extremo Sur, since in the first edition in December he was crowned champion of the 13 km and runner-up in 21 km.
This year his time in 21 km was 1:39 hours, followed by Raúl Caraballo at 1:46 min and Rubén Rodríguez at 3:51 min. Rubén, who is the brother of Samuel Rodríguez, winner of MTB, exhausted his podium options in a healthy sporting rivalry with Jachinson Hernández, who was finally fourth classified at 6:03 min from the winner.
And although he is not among the top five, the Yaiza City Council praises the perseverance of a leading athlete of the municipality and member of the Triyaiza Club, Mark Thorn, who at 53 years of age achieved a decent eighth place at 6:25 min from the champion.
Mark's statements at the end of the race embody the meaning of sports activity in Yaiza: "it is not only an honor to run in my municipality, but these races are necessary because for an athlete who trains hard every day it is frustrating not to be able to compete, so I thank the Yaiza City Council for carrying out these initiatives in compliance with covid security measures".
The most outstanding women in the 21 km race were Belinda Guillén, with a time of 2:11 hours, followed by Yvonne Radermacher and Olalla Duro. Belinda also positively valued the celebration of the Yaiza Extremo Sur without failing to mention the hardships she went through due to the wind: "it is a very hard test, but it is a joy to compete and see how people are gradually approaching and integrating again through sports".
For their part, in the 12 km of trail, Jacobo Tomás Hernández, with a time of 1:07 hours, Daniel Casanova at 1:57 min and Alcorac Niz at 3:18 min from the winner, were classified first. The best classified woman in this same modality was Micaela Ruiz with a time of 1:27 hours.
The Yaiza City Council not only appreciates the organization of the Sports Area and the commitment of other municipal areas, but also the support of the emergency services and security forces. Local Police, Civil Protection Yaiza, Red Cross, Gorec Emergencias and the Los Ajaches Handball Club and Triyaiza Club, who participated with volunteers to attend to logistical needs, were involved with the race.
