Thanks to Trevor Martin for the edit and the following words about the event…

A few great things about Valparaiso Chile: 

-It was the largest port on the Pacific coast until Oakland, CA
-It is the third largest city in Chile
-It’s comprised of steep ridge lines covered in houses that cascade down the the sea
-Beer is served by the liter!
-Night clubs are open all night
-Community dogs roam endlessly in the streets, faithful and well behaved but are “owned” by no one
-It is home to the craziest urban downhill mountain bike race in the southern hemisphere! The Valparaiso Cerro Abajo.
Telluridian Trevor Martin Racing Down South
Telluridian Trevor Martin Racing Down South

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. This year marked the 10th  event that has run annually since it’s first race; a marketing gimmick for a local cycling magazine. Each year that passes brings larger crowds, larger jumps and more sponsors taking claim in the events success. 

Construction methods have improved over the last few years and now ramps and landings are welded together from steel, however in past years it wouldn’t be uncommon to hear “If we need to get through that wall, we could use some dynamite” from the event’s mastermind Victor Heresmann. Victor, enthusiastic about this year in particular thanks to the city of Valparaiso signing a three year contract with him, promising plenty of room for improvement down the road.
Stair Gap About To Cause Some Issues...
Stair Gap About To Cause Some Issues...

This year was my third trip to central Chile for the Valparaiso Cerro Abajo and I feel I couldn’t have been more prepared for it. I have placed as good as 20th in past competitions and was aiming for a crack at the top 10 this year. I felt strong during the morning’s practice until disaster struck while trying to dial in a challenging stair gap midway through the course. This part of the course held one of the more challenging options with a descent time advantage to double a stair set. This advantage comes with higher consequences as well which I fully felt the wrath of. Upon landing the gap, there are four or five sets of steep, tight stairs that lead to the street at the bottom. The stairs were a little more than I was prepared to handle at the speed I was traveling and I ended up getting bucked forward near the last set. At that point I was merely hanging on and preparing for the inevitable impact at the bottom of the stairs. My bike veered offline ever so slightly and my right hand, still clenching the handle bar, landed on top of the metal handrail, crushing my fingers and the break lever. Before I could blink, I knew the time had come to let go, tuck, roll and hope for the best.

Trevor About To Go For A Ride
Trevor About To Go For A Ride

Amazingly, I was on my feet sliding backwards looking up the course just as quickly as I had hit the ground. Despite my index finger being absolutely crushed from the handrail I survived relatively unharmed. The front wheel of the bike was destroyed in the impact and my finger had little to no function. A local woman spectating the action quickly ran inside her house, about 10 feet away and came back with a bandage, gauze and ice. The locals had me back on my bike in a matter of minutes with an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm and applause when I waived that I will survive. 

My day on the course was now over so I descended back to our hotel where I could change out of my gear and prepare for the rest of the afternoon in the Valparaiso Emergency Room.
Not the top 10 finish I was hoping for but given the circumstances and potential for much greater disaster I’ll except it and start planning for next years event.
Thanks to the Telluride Community for supporting my adventure! Hope you all enjoy the video. 

For a full speed spectators view of Trevor’s crash and all the other crazy features check out PinkBike.com for their event video.

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6 replies on “Telluride Pro Trevor Martin At The Valparaiso Cerro Abajo Urban DH”