“The people live in the city, so we take the races to them,” says DH legend Steve Peat, explaining the thinking behind the new City Downhill World Cup series. Makes sense to us! Urban racing has exploded in recent years, with events popping up all over Europe and South America. And it’s got a lot more public appeal than other forms of mountain biking, with all the action taking place literally on people’s doorsteps, and plenty of big moves and even bigger crashes to keep them interested!
The organisers hope to get TV companies like Eurosport on board by the time the series kicks off in 2014. And the omens are good – it’s already got the backing of big names like Greg Minnaar, Brook MacDonald and Cedric Gracia, and urban champ Filip Polc has signed on to help with course design. The €15,000 (approx US$19,600 / £13,100) prize purse at each round should be a good incentive to get more riders on board too!
There’s talk of rounds in Europe and South America, with a pilot event to be held in the Slovakian capital Bratislava on 22 June this year. The eventual aim is to take urban racing to some of the world’s biggest cities. We just hope the events stay as bonkers as ever! Check out the teaser video below to find out more.
Source: City Downhill World cup trailer /ENG from Filip Polc
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