Enduro mountain bike racer Ales Masip has spoken out about the alleged sexual assault he experienced at the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Leogang, Austria.

The Spanish cyclist, who lives in Andorra, filed a complaint with the International Cycling Union (UCI).

Masip went public with the details of the sexual assault in a video posted on her Instagram account on Wednesday. She said she told her attacker to stop, but he covered her mouth and grabbed her arm.

“I wanted to scream and push him away and run,” she said.

Masip did not name the person she claimed assaulted her, but she described him as a fellow member of the mountain biking community.

“Hello, I am MTB rider Ales Masip, and in 2023 I was sexually abused by a rider in the paddock of the Leogang World Cup,” Masip said at the beginning of her video statement.

“The race was very long and I slept for hours in the van. He came at dawn and tried to force me into a sexual relationship. I rejected and rejected him from the beginning. He kept rubbing his penis against my body, trying to kiss me, and pestering me.

“I just begged him to stop. I screamed and wanted to push him away and run away. He covered my mouth, grabbed my arms, and repeated that he was going to rape me while trying to get me out of my clothes.

The UCI confirmed to Cycling News that Masip reported the allegations of sexual abuse, and according to Esport 3, she also reported the same allegations to the Catalan Cycling Federation or the Andorra Sports Ministry.

Masip told PinkBike that she filed a damage report with Spanish police in October 2024.

Masip said her public statement was the most complex video recording ever, but she wanted to break her silence. She also said she initially tried to forget about the incident, but realized its seriousness and decided to file a complaint.

“At first I tried to forget about it and pretended that nothing had happened. But as the months went by and we saw each other more and more at the races, I began to feel disgusted and rejected. Gradually, I became aware of how terrible the situation was and decided to file a complaint. When it comes to the law, you never know what will happen. It was not an easy process,” says Masip. [Unfortunately, cases like this happen all too often. I finally broke my silence because I believe it is possible to build a more equal and safe society. I have had enough of impunity.”

Cycling News contacted the UCI to confirm that Masip has filed a formal complaint with the UCI regarding this incident and the next steps in this specific case.

“Spanish MTB enduro rider Ales Masip reported allegations of sexual abuse at a cycling event attended by other riders.

“The UCI is currently investigating the matter with a view to referring it to the UCI Ethics Committee. Due to the nature of the allegations, the UCI will refrain from commenting further."

The UCI also reported that ”the UCI is currently investigating the allegations.

Masip is a brand ambassador for Forrestal Bikes and said the company would support her in the case and any further action.

“We are shocked, extremely saddened, and at the same time outraged to learn of the incident of sexual abuse suffered by Ares. We are also shocked to realize that this could happen during a mountain biking event. Mountain biking is a sport that should convey values such as fun, happiness and respect, and of course should be a safe place for all,” the company wrote in a statement on Instagram.

“Ales Masip is a valued member of the Forrestal team and needs all our support to deal with this matter. We will use our platform to publicly condemn the horrific events that have come to light today. We trust that the full weight of the law will fall on those who should fall and thus set an example so that such incidents will never happen again.”