Hardly any other name is as closely associated with Urban Downhill Racing as Tomáš Slavík. For years, the Czech gravity rider has been spending every winter in South America to prepare for the bike season in Europe. Meanwhile, Tomáš is something like a “local hero” in South America – and not without reason. From his last trip Tomáš brought many memories of country, people and mountain biking.
South America is a place I love returning to. I’ve spent several consecutive winters here. I can take advantage of the local summery conditions when training, and I regularly participate in the City Downhill World Series races. While I concentrated solely on myself in the past, I led a training camp this year. A bunch of Chilean riders joined me; we trained from morning until lunch, and then again in the afternoon. As the proverbial icing on the cake, the camp concluded with a race, the winner of which got a wild card and license to start in the Red Bull Monserrate Cerro Abajo race in Colombia. In South America, city downhills are followed by more people than the Dakar Rally. Their popularity is massive among the locals, and up to five million viewers watch them on TV. It’s a place that I’ve grown very fond of, and now I have the opportunity to tell you why.
[continued...]
From Pink Bike
Check out PinkBike.com for the latest in cycling and mountain biking news, freeride videos, photos, events, race results and more. Submit your own biking pictures and videos online.
