The Valparaiso Cerro Abajo Bike Race

Can you see yourself pedaling a bike high speed downhill or doing something like this?

Photo Credit: http://unofficialnetworks.com/

Even if you haven’t ridden a bicycle in years, you can pretend to do so with a participant of a downhill race in Chile. It sure looks like a virtual ride as you follow the ride with a camera – you escalate, jump, and free fall. I even mentally fell off my imaginary bike few times and maybe that’s why I wouldn’t be racing in these kinds of races. If circumstances allow – watch it in full screen mode – it’s insane!

The Valparaiso Cerro Abajo Race is a legendary urban bike race and is more extreme than skydiving. The rider must brave jumps, stray dogs, and flights of stairs along the steep downhill path.

Photo Credit: http://channelmtb.com/

Drawing crowds of more than 10,000 screaming fans and international competitors from around the globe, this is a mountain bike race like none other in the history. Best mountain bike riders in the world compete here in less three minute race. Last year this event attracted at least 15,000 spectators.

In 2012 60 riders came to the event and half of them were eliminated during the qualifying rides. I also have to note that most injuries happen during the qualifying events. As the time progresses the bar is raised higher and higher and the number of riders continues to decrease.

The race, which started in 2003, is held in the form of time trials rather than head-to-head competition, and since the course runs through some major city streets it’s not actually set up until a day or two before the event, giving the riders no time to practice before it begins. Here is what one of the riders said, “…We are basically going into the jumps blind since they probably won’t even test them until the day of the race.”

Crazy? I’d say YES! What was the craziest thing You’ve heard of?