AssetID: 54569004
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Riders Take On 'World's Most Extreme' Urban Biking Contest In Valparaiso, Chile
Caption: Czech rider Tomáš Slavík has been crowned 'King of the Port' for a fourth time after winning the 21st edition of Red Bull Valparaíso Cerro Abajo, the world's most extreme urban downhill mountain bike race, in the historic Chilean city. Slavík, who won the opening round of the Red Bull Cerro Abajo series in Genoa, Italy, last October, returned to this year's event with a clear objective: to redeem himself after last year's mechanical failure when his bike's chain snapped just seconds into his run. Faced with a heavily revised course, including an all-new top section compared to 2024, Slavík achieved his goal with a blistering time of 2 minutes and 18 seconds, reaching speeds exceeding 54 km/h. His victory over a highly competitive field of the world's best urban downhill racers also secured his place in history as one of the three most successful riders in the competition's history. With victories in 2017, 2018, 2023, and now 2025, Slavík shares the record for the most Red Bull Valparaíso Cerro Abajo wins alongside Chile's Antonio Leiva and Slovakia's Filip Polc. "I must admit, the day wasn't perfect. I faced some technical issues and made mistakes during the qualifiers, but in the final, I managed to put together a perfect run," said the 37-year-old. "I had to take some sections a bit slower to be more careful in the corners – normally my strong point – but in the end, I managed the race well, and I'm happy with the result." Local Chilean rider Felipe Agurto secured second place, buoyed by raucous support from the home crowd throughout the weekend. The Curacaví native came within fractions of a second of claiming the top spot but had to settle for repeating his 2024 result. Completing the podium was 2024's race winner, Lucas Borba, marking an impressive three podium finishes in three years for the consistent Brazilian rider. Colombian riders Juanfer Vélez and Sebastián Holguín, who were second and third in the Red Bull Cerro Abajo series standings after the Genoa round, endured difficult races in Valparaíso, sliding out of contention for the podium and losing valuable points to Slavík in the title race. Two-time series champion Vélez was the fastest qualifier and ahead of Slavík's benchmark time during his race run. However, he lost traction on one of the slick asphalt corners in the track's middle section, crashing out and forfeiting his chance of a first win in Valparaíso. Following the race, competitors will take a well-earned break before concluding the global Red Bull Cerro Abajo series on 29 March at Red Bull Guanajuato Cerro Abajo in Mexico.
Keywords: valparaiso,chile,red bull,mountain biking,feature,video,photo
PersonInImage: