Tips for a MTB ride by Alberto Losada
Taking advantage of the Etxeondo Ride X ProTour BCN on the trails of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, we chatted with Alberto Losada about how he dresses and prepares for an MTB ride.
A few metres from the ProTour Bcn shop, in San Just Desvern, there is a whole row of maps, mountains and areas prepared for MTB that offers a wide variety of possibilities for lovers of this discipline. Alberto Losada, CEO and former professional cyclist for 15 years, in love with cycling, cycling and everything that involves pedalling, as defined on his website, shares with us some of his tips for this type of rides.
In general, “I always dress in comfortable clothes that are not too rigid, I hardly differentiate my mountain wardrobe from my road wardrobe”, says Losada. In the end, just as there are things that he takes into account whether he decides to devour the asphalt or the mountain, he prefers his clothes to allow him that mobility and comfort when pedalling.
Even so, he doesn’t like to wear more than one layer, “what I like is to open my jacket or jersey and perspire, I combine the vest with an Ero, Ibai or a Dena depending on the temperature now in autumn and winter and that’s it”. Of course, in case, “a Busti layer at the back in winter for the descents”.
Losada also comments that the composition of the jersey and bib shorts is important, “I prefer it not to be a very thin fabric because of the brambles, at the end of the day, you’ll probably be riding in more sheltered places and to avoid bad weather, both the jersey and the bib shorts must have body”.
The importance of underwear
In addition to the choice of jersey, what he pays most attention to, especially in the colder seasons, is the vest: “Depending on what the thermometer shows, I like to change the vest, a good vest that, above all, breathes”, says the former professional cyclist.
As for accessories, gloves never fail, “in the mountains I like to wear Esku gloves, long and very thin, but as in everything, it’s a matter of taste”, Losada concludes.
