Enduro rider denounces sexual assault by a World Cup rider

Spanish enduro rider Ares Masip came forward yesterday alleging that another World Cup cyclist sexually assaulted her in Leogang in 2023. In a very public, heartfelt and somber Instagram post, Masip explained the situation, what happened and why she hesitated to come forard.

“Hey, I’m Ares Masip, an MTB rider and in 2023 I suffered a sexual abuse in a Leogang,World Cup paddock by a rider. The race was very long so I had been sleeping in my van for hours. He came at dawn and was trying to force me to have sexual relations with him. Since the very start I refused and rejected him. He kept rubbing his penis over my body, tried to kiss me and kept insisting. I was just asking him to stop. I wanted to scream, push him away and run. He covered my mouth, grabbed my arms and repeated that he would rape me while he tried to undress me. At first I tried to forget it and pretend that nothing happened. But months went by, we coincided at races and I felt more disgust and rejection. Slowly I became conscious how bad the situation was and I decided to file a complaint. When it comes to law I don’t know what will happen. It’s not been an easy process. I wanted to make it public because unfortunately these cases are way too frequent. I finally broke the silence because I believe that it’s possible to build a society more equal and safe. Enough of so much impunity!”

According to European sports channel E Sport 3, “she also reported the case to the Catalan Cycling Federation or the Ministry of Sports of Andorra–where she resides and has a sports license. She has brought the case to the UCI. Masip, however, is not optimistic about the punishment her aggresor may receive.”

Masip’s sponsor Forestal  was quick to respond and support her. “We were shocked, extremely saddened and at the same time furious to learn about the case of sexual abuse suffered by Ares. It comes as a shock too to realise that something like this could happen during a mountain bike event. Mountain biking is a sport that should transmit values of fun, happiness and respect, and of course must be a safe place for all. We take advantage of our platform to publicly condemn the horrible events that have come to light today, trusting that the full weight of the law will fall on those who should fall and thus serve as an example so that cases like this never happen again.”