The third and final edition of the season premiered in Genoa, Italy, marking its arrival in Europe.
Genova, Italy – 32 competitors of Red Bull Cerro Abajo’s urban downhill mountain biking series, took to the streets of Genova, Italy for Europes first ever European stop. With a roster of fierce competitors it was Czech rider Tomáš Slavík, a veteran of Red Bull Cerro Abajo, who secured the win in a time of 2:42.505. Joining him on the podium were Colombians Juanfer Velez in second place, just 0.477 seconds behind, and in third place Sebastian Holguín, 3.383 seconds off the top step of the podium.
Competitors took on a breathtaking 2.2-kilometer course, winding its way from Monte Peralto to Largo della Zecca, passing through some Genova’s most iconic landmarks, takeling a total decent of 279 meters and reaching speeds of up to 80km/h.
After another sucessful win for the Czech rider, Slavïk stated “It still doesn’t seem real to me. The course was difficult and wild, pushing you to the limit at every moment. I gave my soul for this victory and I am happy to be the winner of this first historic European stop… I’ve been racing for many years now and competing with so many new young people gives me a special boost. The thing that inspired me most was to win today in front of this fantastic crowd, who welcomed me as if I were at home.”
However, today’s extraordinary race was not enough for Tomáš to be crowned the overall winner of the Red Bull Cerro Abajo 2024 series. In fact, the crown of this year’s edition goes to Colombian Juanfer Velez, who, by adding to his results achieved in Valparaíso (Chile), and Guanajuato (in Mexico), writes his name into the history books, among the legends of urban downhill, reaffirming his dominance of the Red Bull Cerro Abajo series after last year’s triumph. “I am overjoyed to for the second year in a row be the champion of Red Bull Cerro Abajo, the most spectacular and extreme competition in urban downhill,” says the Colombian champion. “Today’s course was very physical: to get to the end I had to give it my all. It would have been great to win in this extraordinary city but the joy of reconfirming myself as champion is unparalleled.”
The event attracted the attention of thousands of fans, who crowded the streets of Genova to support the 32 riders, from 15 different nations.
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