Maté and Kortekaas, winners of the 2026 Škoda Titan Desert Morocco
1 de May de 2026589 kilometers in six days. More than 6,000 meters of elevation gain. A peloton of nearly 500 cyclists. Dunes, mountains, desert, and sections of the route with no signage or marked trail.
The 2026 Škoda Titan Desert Morocco can be described in many ways, but there’s no better way to do so than through its two winners: Luis Ángel Maté and Tessa Kortekaas. Today, in the town of Maadid, both secured their victory in this year’s edition of the Moroccan adventure.
Leaders from the very start, both have managed to hold onto the lead in very different ways. While “The Lynx” has managed his lead with intelligence and composure, the Dutch rider has done so the only way she knows how: by dominating and crushing her rivals.
Kortekaas has been breaking record after record throughout the race. Today, the Massi ISB Sport Inverse rider achieved two new milestones that have gone down in the history of the Škoda Titan Desert Morocco, now in its 20th edition: she finished third in the stage and seventh overall. These are rankings and achievements that no other female competitor has ever attained before.
Far from being a walk in the park for the winners, the sixth stage was full of twists and turns and tough challenges. It was a final test of grit and endurance for all the Titans.
Although the lead group stayed tightly bunched and maintained a steady pace for most of the race, at the 50-kilometer mark, Tessa Kortekaas, Jonathan Castroviejo, and Josep Termens decided to try a breakaway that paid off.
That was the end of the calm, and the race was wide open. The three leaders pushed hard to battle it out for the stage win. They all had reasons to celebrate: for Tessa, it was a chance to become the first woman to win a stage outright, while for Jonathan and Josep, it was an opportunity to claim their first victory in the race.
In the end, it was Termens who won the sprint, although it seems Castroviejo lost a bit of ground in the final meters.
These details round out the sports coverage of a race that is so much more than just that. It’s a life-changing adventure for those who complete it, and by 2026, it has left behind countless stories to remember.
