Rubén Ruzafa leaves the Mountain Bike to dedicate himself professionally to triathlon

After a successful sports career in Mountain Bike, the Andalusian athlete Rubén Ruzafa, has decided to take an important turn in his profession. Ruzafa leaves Mountain Bike to dedicate himself professionally to triathlon, a sport in which he was proclaimed XTERRA World Champion (Hawaii, USA - 2008), and European Cross Triathlon runner-up (Sardinia, Italy - 2009).

“I had been debating between Mountain Bike and triathlon for several years. My victory in the XTERRA in Maui made me seriously consider changing sports, but I had been chasing the dream of being part of the Olympic Mountain Bike team since my beginnings and given how close I was in 2008, I wanted to try it for 2012. After two difficult years, especially this last one, in which I lost all chance of being an Olympic player due to an infection after the World Cup in South Africa and overtraining, the opportunity has come to show how far I can go in triathlon”.

After four absolute national titles in the disciplines of Cross Country and Marathon, a Team Relay World Championship (Livigno, Italy- 2005), several Top 10 finishes and two podiums in the World Cup (4th in Madrid, Spain - 2008, 2nd in Schladming, Austria – 2009), the athlete from Rincón de la Victoria (Málaga) leaves behind a successful stage as a Mountain Biker to consider new challenges.

“In the short term I want to compete in the European XTERRA circuit and revalidate my title of World Champion. I will also debut in medium distance triathlons, such as the IRONMAN 70.3. In the medium term, the intention is to fight for victory in the IRONMAN World Championship 70.3 from Las Vegas. My long-term goal is to qualify for the IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii, the mecca of triathlon”.

"I want to thank Orbea for all the support and trust it has given me over the past seven years." Currently, Rubén Ruzafa is shaping his new triathlon project while recovering from a simple surgical intervention that forced him to finish his Mountain Bike season ahead of schedule. Soon he will resume his training in full physical capacity, rested and motivated.