Kortekaas Seizes Women’s Lead and Becking Reclaims Men’s Red Jersey at Fred.Olsen Express Transgrancanaria Bike

Tessa Kortekaas takes advantage of Rosa van Doorn’s flat tire to win on the third day and pull ahead by 46 seconds

Enrique Morcillo wins the third stage and moves into second place overall behind his teammate

The race faces a final day that will determine the winners of the ninth edition

Leader changes in the Fred.Olsen Express Transgrancanaria Bike, an S2 category UCI event, occurred after Dutch rider Tessa Kortekaas (Cannondale ISB) won the third stage, covering 45.6 kilometers in the Tirajana ravine and the Amurga massif area. Hans Becking (Buff-Megamo) finished second, nearly two minutes ahead of the previous leader, Miguel Muñoz. With these results, the final stage on Sunday will decide the elite winners of the most important MTB event in the Canary Islands calendar.

In the women’s category, Tessa Kortekaas took advantage of a flat tire during Rosa van Doorn’s ascent on the Gallego track in the Amurga massif to take the lead and head solo downhill to the finish line at Cañón del Águila, securing a 1:47 advantage. This allowed her to don the red leader’s jersey with a 46-second lead over the Buff-Megamo rider. Andalusian Natalia Fischer (Scott Cala Bandida) finished third, solidifying her third place in the overall standings ahead of Romanian Manuela Muresan.

“It felt like another time trial because Rosa got a flat tire on the climb, and I took the chance to attack. I felt great, with energy despite the fatigue from yesterday’s time trial,” commented Kortekaas, expressing her happiness at wearing the red jersey for the first time, which she will have to defend on Sunday.

Elite Women’s Third Stage Classification

1ª	Tessa Kortekaas	Cannondale ISB	NED	2:00:01
2ª	Rosa van Doorn	Buff-Megamo	NED	2:01:48
3ª	Natalia Fischer	Scott Cala Bandida	ESP	2:03:50
4ª	Manuela Muresan	Dinamo Bikesport	RUM	2:04:22
5ª	Celina Carpinteiro	Cyclin Team / Município Albufeira	POR	2:14:11

 Rosa van Doorn mentioned that she got a flat tire when she launched her attack, forcing her to stop and repair the bike. “Fortunately, there’s another stage tomorrow where I’ll try to regain the leader’s jersey,” said the Dutch rider.

Elite Women’s General Classification

1ª	Tessa Kortekaas	Cannondale ISB	NED	4:21:46
2ª	Rosa van Doorn	Buff-Megamo	NED	4:22:32
3ª	Natalia Fischer	Scott Cala Bandida	ESP	4:30:49
4ª	Manuela Muresan	Dinamo Bikesport	RUM	4:33:03
5ª	Celina Carpinteiro	Cyclin Team / Município Albufeira	POR	4:56:59

In the men’s category, Buff-Megamo achieved a double victory with Enrique Morcillo winning the stage and Dutch rider Hans Becking reclaiming the red leader’s jersey. The Balearic cyclist led the stage after the first ascent, winning with a 1:32 advantage over his teammate, who crossed the finish line alongside current Spanish champion Sergio Mantecón (Scott Cala Bandida). The previous leader, Miguel Muñoz, who suffered a breakdown, finished fourth, 1:59 behind Becking, with Luis Ángel Maté in fifth. Blas Rivero of Z2 Bike was the first Canarian to finish, placing sixth and recovering from a mechanical issue during Friday’s time trial.

“I knew that if I topped the climb with the leaders, I could take advantage of the descent to create a gap, and that’s what happened, all the way to the finish without looking back, plus luckily, the wind was favorable. I’m happy to win here,” said Enrique Morcillo at the finish line after his first victory in Gran Canaria.

Elite Men’s Third Stage Classification

1º	Enrique Morcillo	Buff-Megamo	ESP	1:40:55
2º	Hans Becking	Buff-Megamo	NED	1:42:27
3º	Sergio Mantecón	Scott Cala Bandida	ESP	1:42:28
4º	Miguel Muñoz	Klimatiza Toteemi	ESP	1:44:26
5º	Luis Ángel Maté	Fundación Euskadi	ESP	1:44:51

With Saturday’s results, Hans Becking returns to the lead with a 16-second advantage over his teammate Enrique Morcillo, who was third overall until today. Miguel Muñoz (Klimatiza Toteemi) dropped to fourth place and is 54 seconds behind the third, Sergio Mantecón, who admitted he was enjoying the island on his first visit to Gran Canaria. “I’m discovering the landscape, which is perfect for any outdoor sport. In terms of the race, I’m happy to be fighting for the podium.”

Elite Men’s General Classification

1º	Hans Becking	Buff-Megamo	NED	3:41:36
2º	Enrique Morcillo	Buff-Megamo	ESP	3:41:50
3º	Sergio Mantecón	Scott Cala Bandida	ESP	3:42:31
4º	Miguel Muñoz	Klimatiza Toteemi	ESP	3:43:25
5º	Luis Ángel Maté	Fundación Euskadi	ESP	3:46:37

In the Master30 category, Brazilian Vanessa Lessa’s third win solidifies her lead in the women’s general classification, while Romanian Florin Muresan’s victory on Saturday moves him into the lead in the men’s category. In Master40 women, Lourdes Bethencourt continues to lead with another stage victory, and there is a new leader in the men’s category after today’s first place by Portuguese Valério Ferreira. In Master50 women, Swedish Lena Kristina Berndtsson remains the leader with her third win, as does Jorge López in the men’s category. Finally, in Master60, Galician José Ramón López continues to lead despite finishing second in this third stage to Peter Boggio.

The Fred.Olsen Express Transgrancanaria Bike will conclude this Sunday with the longest stage (69.7 kilometers), starting and finishing at Parque Sur, featuring ascents of the Ayagaures ravine and descents of the Fataga ravine, before heading towards El Salobre and ending in Maspalomas. Additionally, there will be a Gran Canaria Cycling Schools Championship race for young cyclists in the categories of benjamins, promises, beginners, alevins, and children, highlighting the organization’s commitment to promoting sports and competition among youth categories.

The Fred.Olsen Express Transgrancanaria Bike, organized by Arista Eventos, is principally sponsored by Fred. Olsen Express. It also receives support from the Cabildo de Gran Canaria through the institutions Turismo de Gran Canaria and the Instituto Insular de Deportes, as well as from the Government of the Canary Islands with Islas Canarias Latitud de Vida. The Ayuntamiento de San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Maspalomas Costa Canaria also provide their support. The race also has the backing of companies such as 226ERS, Vivac Aventura, Gobik, Emicela, Pepsi, Aguas de Teror, Lorenzo González Automoción, Gofio La Piña, Sonocom, Provital, and Inetel.