Thousands of cheering fans witnessed Slovak biker Filip Polc race to his third win at the Red Bull Valparaiso Cerro Abajo downhill race. And we were there to capture the vibrant and unique atmosphere for you.
Polc navigated the tricky 1.7 kilometre urban course in central Chile that winds down ramps, stairs, streets, and man-made obstacles in just 2 minutes 28 seconds.
The Chilean city set up an insane mtb course down some of its steepest hills and the ”Polcster” – as he’s called in Chile – was all over it with a confident and aggressive line that didn’t shy away from risk.
Speaking after his victory, Polc acknowledged the treacherous trail to victory. “The course is crazy, you know. The first corner was so crowded since the practice. They just cheer for you, it makes you go faster. Towards the finish, it was still better and better, it probably made me sprint a little faster,” he said.
Some ended up in hospital
Just 0,2 second behind him finished a Czech biker Tomas Slavik. “The course was brand new, so it didn’t matter how many times you’ve already raced here in the history. It was really difficult, but we made it till the end of it. Watch how crazy the course was on a footage from Tomas Slavik’s helmet cam.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvKqAGT94s0
But not everyone was lucky in Valparaiso. There were at least ten competitors who ended up in the emergency car heading to the hospital,“ Slavik says.
