All eyes were on Filip Polc, an absolute winner in recent years. He won four times in the last five years. Since his debut in the race in 2010, he sat out the podium only in 2011, when he felt in the semifinals.
To beat the record of Polc that fulfilled the path in impressive 55'284" last year, breaking his own record achieved in 2013 (56'08"), the organizers invited 58 riders from 8 countries in total. "The challenge this year will be very difficult. Polc’s time is really very low. To debunk it, athletes will have to invent a new technique, do what no one did", said Marcelo Coelho, president of the Brazilian Confederation of Mountain Bike and the event’s organizer.
But it seems Filip is unstoppable. Although he didn't break his last year record, he finished in impressive 55'760" just couple of seconds away from World champ Tomas Slavik who finished in 55'852". Rounding off the podium was Johannes Fischbach. Despite a very deadly weather, all athletes had to descend 415 steps in a journey of approximately 850 meters in length, and 147 meters of altitude - equivalent to a building of 56 floors. At the halfway point, ramps and gaps made the descent even more technical and challenging. The next stop is Valparaiso, Chile, the most successful urban race in South America. Stay tuned!
Photos: © citydownhill
Source: http://www.citydownhill.com
