Interview with Rubén Ruzafa prior to the XTerra World Cup

Rubén Ruzafa will try to "reconquer" the world title this next October 23

 

We have been talking with the Pentacampeón of the world (3 times of XTerra and 2 times ITU) Rubén Ruzafa.

Good morning Ruben, how are you? Last year, after more than 20 consecutive victories in the XTerra circuit in Maui, you could not achieve your 4th title and "only" could be 3rd. What happened in that competition?

Last year I did not get to Maui in my best condition, a cold for which I had to take antibiotics the weekend before the test, I left several days without training and with the body with little energy. Still I'm happy because I took the 110% of what I had inside and finished third.

This year you returned to continue reigning in the XTerra circuit, being the winner of the European XTerra Tour. What have been your best races in this 2016?

Yes, this year I have done very well in the XTerra European Tour. The best victories have been XTerra Switzerland (ITU European Tricross Championship), XTerra France and XTerra Europe Championship in Germany.

Winning the European Tour has been a pleasant surprise since I have not competed in all that I could score and until the last test in Denmark was not decided. I was really excited about the truth.

And now there is a world where you will try to achieve your 4º title. How has the preparation been the previous weeks? Have you modified anything from last year?

Well this year I have done most of my preparation in the Basque Country where I now reside. After two weeks of going to Maui I went to Malaga to prepare myself with heat, to train with Guillermo Mediano in swimming and to compete in some races in the area.

In the preparation we have done some, train more mountain trail, plyometrics to gain more strength, new types of bike series, swimming to train more the average rhythm ... they are small things that I think have gone very well.

How do you face the Maui competition? How do you think the race will develop?

I face it with enthusiasm, I think it's going to be a very fast and demanding race. Every year we all prepare more and better, and that shows in the rhythm of competition.

There will probably be a group of swimmers who come out of the water first, then the more "bikers" will try to catch them and take time out of them. The times between each other in the second transition will be key. Jossiah, Murray, Branden and a few others are good runners, so putting time on them on the bike is best.

Lately there are usually debates in forums about the developments to be used in BTT, in your case for the world, what developments will you take? How is the bicycle sector?

The Maui World Cup has a bike circuit with very steep and steep climbs, but also with some rolling area. Until I see how fast the circuit is, I will not decide, but despite the previous years I have used 32 as a platter, this year I have in mind to use 34 since I feel more comfortable with it.

And about the race on foot, could you tell us how this last sector?

The race on foot is also hard, it is up and down. But cheat, because it really is a fast race. It is usually muddy in parts, but it depends a lot on the last days before the competition.

 Getting to the race on foot with a point of freshness is important because the heat and humidity are very treacherous at this stage of the race. The last part of the beach can be very long.

Skechers is one of your main sponsors, What shoe model will you use for the XTerra World Cup walk and why?

Well, I plan to use the new ones Skechers Go Trail, they just came out of the oven. They are like a Go Run Ride 5 but with a tacked sole and a harder compound. I already want to try them on the trails of Maui.

Thank you very much for this interview and we wish you the best, hopefully you can "reconquer" the world title of XTerra

Many thanks to you!

Photos: www.rubenruzafa.com