Insane
The Red Bull Valparaiso urban downhill race kicked off the City Downhill World Tour in style last weekend and German veteran 4x racer Johannes Fischbach emerged as the victor.
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But really these races aren’t about who wins or loses but more about the spectacle of the race itself. We’ve got two highlights videos for you here. A short ‘edit’ above and longer raw footage reel below. There’s also a collection of photos that show just how crazy the course (and the riders) really are.
Unfortunately not every rider made it down the hill unscathed. Mick Hannah took a heavy tumble on a stair set near the top of the course but thankfully he was able to ride down the course after being helped up by the crowd. You can watch the crash here.
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Fischbach will remain as the City Downhill World Tour leader until June when the series will head to Bratislava. The riders and organisers will all be hoping the race passes without incident as last year it was interrupted by a Neo-Nazi demonstration. The series will culminate in Taxco, Mexico later this year.
The best photos from the 2016 Valparaiso urban downhill race
Filip Polc
Filip Polc was surely a favourite going in to the race (he did design the course after all) but was pipped by Fischbach into second. (Alfred Jrgen Westermeyer/Red Bull Content Pool)
The Pagoda
The course finished with riders firing themselves out of a pagoda into the finish area. (Fabio Piva/Red Bull Content Pool)
Johannes Fischbach
It seemed like health and safety was a (bit) more of a concern this year with the crowd corralled behind barriers (Gustavo Cherro/Red Bull Content Pool)
Mauricio Acuna
It’s easy to forget that these riders are flying past people’s houses. (Alfred Jrgen Westermeyer/Red Bull Content Pool)
Alberto Nicolas
Here’s the reverse view of that window by the way. (Gustavo Cherro/Red Bull Content Pool)
Dennis Tondin
This one took us a few seconds to get our heads round. It’s a rider on a wallride with the crowd below. (Claudio Olgun Parra / Red Bull Content Pool)
