Tannus Armour was present at the Titan Desert with Kim Ruiz.

Kim Ruiz is a cyclist who with a good friend had the dream of participating in one of the toughest mountain bike races in the world. For this, in addition to following a hard training, he decided to prepare his bike with components that would make it easier for him to reach the finish line of the race. Titan Desert.

Let's get to know Kim Ruiz better

 

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Kim, tell us a little about the Titan Desert and your experience with Tannus Armour.

How and when did the idea of doing a Titan Desert come up?

The Garmin Titan Desert was the dream of Carlos (the friend who encouraged me to start doing sport again with mountain biking). I had fulfilled my dream by climbing to the summit of the Matterhorn (4,478m) in 2015 and I knew how important it is for oneself to make one's dreams come true, or at least try to do so. Although we had discussed it several times, it wasn't until October 2017, when we went to the presentation together, that the idea started to take shape. The turning point came in April 2018. Carlos was given a new bike for his 50th birthday. The Titan bike. Even so, it still took (at least me) several more months before it was totally clear. I needed to change my bike. I couldn't go to the Titan with the one I had, a 26" aluminum rigid, and to that we had to add that the economic cost of participating in the race is very high. Finally, after evaluating pros and cons, in August 2018 we started training and in October we signed up for the 2019 edition of the Garmin Titan Desert.

What has been the best and the worst of the Titan Desert?

The worst thing was the sores I got from sitting on the bike for so many hours. I had to do stage 6 very slowly because I could only pedal standing up on the bike.

The best thing has been two things: helping Carlos to make his dream come true (we made the Titan's motto "Ride your dream" our own) and helping to raise awareness of the excellent work they do at the Enriqueta Villavecchia Children's Oncology Foundation, where they help children and young people with cancer.

How hard is the race? What is the most difficult thing you have encountered in it?

Much harder than I imagined. I thought that in so many days and kilometers there would be moments of everything, to suffer and to enjoy, but when it came down to it, there were very few kilometers to enjoy and many to suffer. The terrain was constantly uneven. When there were no continuous ups and downs (as if you were cycling on "uralita"), there were big stones, and if not, you found sandbanks that forced you to get off the bike.

The hardest part, without a doubt, were the dunes. You can't even push the bike because it gets stuck in the sand that gets into your shoes as you try to walk. Moving forward was very complicated and the heat made it even more difficult.

Anyway, one thing I am very happy about is that at no time during the six stages of the race did it cross my mind to give up.

How did you feel with the Tannus Armour? Did you notice any difference with or without Tannus Armour?

At first I didn't notice any difference. And that's good because it means you don't have to change your habits or cycle any differently than you always have.

I began to notice the changes when passing through areas populated by small bushes with spikes, or many stones. When you ride on this type of terrain it is inevitable to think that you are going to get a puncture. But as the kilometers go by and you see that this is not the case, the psychological pressure decreases, you ride calmer and you are more confident of being able to finish the stage.

Another moment when I noticed the advantage that the Tannus Armour tires give you was on the mountain pass of the fifth stage. After four days of racing the tires were already starting to show wear, but both on the uphill and especially on the downhill, the feeling of grip was much better than I expected.

Could you have finished the race if you had not worn Tannus Armour?

I probably would have finished it, because we had spare parts to fix up to four punctures per stage, but the peace of mind that comes from wearing the Tannus Armour made it psychologically easier. Contrary to what it may seem, in a race like the Garmin Titan Desert, the psychological aspect is as or more important than the physical.

And to finish Describe in a couple of lines Tannus Armour

Tannus Armour has proven to be capable of overcoming the demanding conditions of such irregular and extreme terrain as the Garmin Titan Desert. Reliability in the face of possible punctures or tire punctures together with greater grip are the two main characteristics of a product that will undoubtedly have a prominent place in the world of cycling.

Kim Ruiz Titan Desert Finisher 2019. Bib 471.