Cross Country World Champion Jose Antonio Hermida (Multivan Merida) on his way to a cyclo-cross win.(Image credit: Multivan Merida Mountain Bike Team)
Cross Country World Champion Jose Antonio Hermida (Multivan Merida) wins a cyclo-cross race as a tune-up for the upcoming Spanish National Championships.(Image credit: Multivan Merida Mountain Bike Team)
Cross country mountain bike world champion José Antonio Hermida (Multivan Merida) took victory in his second cyclo-cross race of the season this weekend. The 32-year-old Spaniard's win came in the final round of the Catalan Cup, held in Mataró, Barcelona, in Spain.
Hermida is planning to compete in the Spanish Cyclo-cross National Championships coming up next week - the Catalan Cup was a chance to tune up in advance.
David Lozano and Hermida battled together from the first lap onward. However, the show ended when Lozano broke his derailleur hanger at the half-way point.
"Lozano beat me a couple of weeks ago, and today I could see he was really strong, even slightly stronger than me," said Hermida. "I was controlling the race, as it was clear that it was going to be a thing between the two of us, but when he had the mechanical, the race was over.
"As laps went by, I was feeling better, but this is my second ('cross) race, and I feel the lack of explosiveness. Next week, it will be the time to suffer in order to be up there in front and have the chance to fight for the title."
Hermida will be aiming for his third national cyclo-cross title, having previously won the national championship in 2007 and 2008. In 2010, he finished second to Javier Ruiz De Lar.
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