South America is geting hot with the Urban Downhill races. Filip Polc just sent me news of a back street race in Manizales, Colombia that he has just won.
He sent over some mesmerising shots of the race, some have bicycles in them too.

mmm…lollies

Polc giving it top banana down the main street.

Having finished their lolly pops the girls move into the shade of the tent to keep cool with race winner Filip Polc.

Polc blasting his way down the back streets of Manizales.

Another local girl looking lost without her lolly pop.

This is what Filip had to say:

“ On the 4th of January I flow to Manizales in Columbia where I was invited for urban downhill.
City is very nice and clean, people friendly and drinkable water from the tab is a bit unusual in South America too. All this and the nicest and biggest “round” things what u can imagine with it.
Track went true nice and fast streets, steep steers and wooden jumps. It wasn’t that as narrow as my last urban race in Rio de Janeiro. More like in Lisboa downtown.
All nice organized, good weather and in the 2100m highs it was really hard to sprint in-between the obstacles.
I manage to win my qualy run even I was trying more crazy lines and it didn’t work out as I planned. Then I decided to make some changes, few different lines, bit faster in some corners and it all went true quite nice.

I smoked everyone with 1’31s.
Gutierrez Marcelo 1’33s
Estrada Mauricio 1’36s
It was nice feeling to ride my Dh bike again after longer winter time in super hot weather and with so friendly guys here in Manizales and from Bogota.
Thanx u guys!!!”