Valparaíso's Wildest Ride
Beyond the colorful facades of Valparaíso lies the city's rebellious spirit. This is the story of how the thrilling downhill mountain biking event of Cerro Abajo has shaped the city's identity..
Visually, Valparaíso is a feast for the eyes – its colorful houses coated in layers of graffiti give the city an energetic character, as well as having earned the city UNESCO classification. Yet, as I navigated its vertiginous alleys, I yearned to understand the city beyond its picturesque facade. Little did I know that my opportunity to do so would come from a group of mountain bikers riding at full speed down these twisting streets.
Although Cerro Abajo is renowned in Chile, I attended with practically no prior knowledge of this extreme sporting event of urban downhill mountain biking. All I had been told by British biker Bernard Kerr was that, at some point, he would cycle through a Chilean's home. With a growing sense of intrigue at how this was logistically possible, it seemed that spectating Cerro Abajo would literally be a gateway for myself, tourists, and bikers into a rarely accessible corner of Chilean culture.
Luis Barra / Red Bull Content Pool
Cerro Abajo, created in 2003 by Víctor Heresmann and Nicolas Barros, is the urban equivalent of a mountain biking event. It sees bikers descend some 230 steps, squeeze through narrow streets, pass through a Chilean’s home, and somehow jump between 8-metre gaps in the pavement. “Valparaíso, qué disparate eres” (“Valparaíso, what an absurdity you are”) wrote Chilean poet Pablo Neruda in 1954 – hardly a line of poetry could be more fitting.
A brief history of Cerro Abajo
I walk up the hills searching for a gap to watch bikers begin their descent and am surrounded by a mixture of architectural styles, showcasing the city’s intercultural origins. In the 19th century, migrants moved into the city, drawn by the wealth produced by trade at Valparaíso port. French, Basques, British and Yugoslavian migrants began to build houses, adapting the architecture to the steep hills. The resulting haphazard building designs give the city a natural amphitheatre-style layout, centring on the port as the stage.
Heresmann was drawn to this theatre to create Cerro Abajo. “Neighbourhood life is highly valued in the hills, and that goes hand in hand with what we proposed when we came up with the idea of Cerro Abajo,” says Heresmann. “A little-known criterion for the layout of the tracks at these events is that we want to tell a story, about the city and the way it's lived. A story seen through a biker's helmet, that provides a sense of where and how people live in such a unique place.”
Gary Go / Red Bull Content Pool
A race through subversive art
The start time is delayed for the final, a custom in Chilean culture. I use the wait time to tour the street art that adorns the facades along the route athletes will soon dive into. Valparaíso’s murals burst into the city during the time of the Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990). Despite the risk of persecution, artists would cloak the streets at night in an effort to call for the government’s fall. In the morning, the artworks would be covered by monotone fresh paint, before the subversion began again as the sun set.
Emboldened by their role in the rebellion, street artists continued to paint after Pinochet fell in 1990. Today, artists are permitted to paint on any house if the owner allows.
Bikers race to the finish in Plaza Aníbal Pinto, passing through streets where the original colour of the houses is hidden behind these layers of artwork, peril and history. The street race and art appear almost in conversation, calling for spectators to feel the turbulent stories of Valparaíso’s past.
Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
The eccentricities of Cerro Abajo
In a city which erupted without planning, many of the streets in Valparaíso (or Valpo, as it is shortened by locals) lack official names. Instead, street names are spontaneously given by the locals, based on the stories coming out of the area. This characteristic of the city is shared with the race; official names are missing for the route replaced by names reflecting moments in the past 20 years of Cerro Abajo Valparaíso.
Heresmann takes me through the story of the ‘Papito Drop.’ “Papito was a cult figure in Valpo. His name was Raúl Guzmán, he died a few years ago, in 2021. He worked with us as a carpenter for many years. A few years ago, we made a guerilla intervention on a section of the Cerro Abajo track. We replaced a wall that served as a staircase handrail as it was making the street dark and difficult for bikes to travel, as well as putting locals at risk of getting mugged at night. We transformed the wall into a steel railing. Papito did the intervention, so we named the track section after him – The Papito Drop.”
Gary Go / Red Bull Content Pool]
With a growing hunger at the smell of the Chilean asado (barbecue) and legs weary from climbing, I begin a food search. At every corner, from the back of their homes, locals are selling their empanadas, sopapillas, completos... Each taste of Chilean cuisine is described as the ‘best’ in Valpo. An argument difficult to disagree with, as it is a one-of-a-kind eating experience. I am unlikely to find this exact empanada again, fresh from the Chilean's home and immersed in the eccentricities of the race.
To my surprise, a small dog wandered onto the course. It had trotted out without knowing that in seconds a biker would be shooting down these narrow steps. Fortunately, the dog quickly returned to the throng of people. Later, I am told that dogs and animals are free to move through the course, and if this happens in a trial the racer will not get a re-run. It is a moment of choice: animal or time. Heresmann says, “This is an event that spans an entire city, both physically and in every other way, we always have unexpected interactions.”
Flying through a Chilean home
On eccentricities, I found Andrés the Chilean living in one of the houses raced through by cyclists. Andrés said, “after watching the competition for years, the opportunity arose to hold it at our house. As a family we feel very happy because we can promote the sport to new generations.” The popularity and fame of the race has meant more residents want the prize of hosting the bikers racing through their home.
Andrés tells me: “Our house was chosen for its infrastructure, since our yard has a steep, dirt slope that makes it perfect for a more extreme race. In our house some changes were made, but nothing major, since at the end of the race, everything is left as it is”. He adds “the race helps the world get to know this region.”
Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
I expect Andrés’ family to have become accustomed to the idiosyncrasies and roars of Cerro Abajo. Now, the Chilean rider, Pedro Ferreira takes the course. Pulsating through the streets is the chant “Chi-Chi-Chi, Le-Le-Le.” It is at this moment that I see the collective national spirit rise. As I talked to the fans about who they’d like to win, one said “I am not so sure, I want Chile to win.” The athletes are popular, but I get the sense that it is the event itself that draws in the crowd.
Valpo’s culture echoed in the sport
British biker Bernard Kerr says that in “Cerro Abajo there's definitely more camaraderie and passion between the riders than in other races.” This is visible as the victor Tomáš Slavík in the hot seat – gets up and embraces every one of the young riders who are ending the race behind his time. Possibly, these athletes look out for each other because of the danger of the sport. Or it could be the spirit of Valpo oozing in.
In Valpo, there are growing concerns about the safety of the city. Yet, most Chileans will warn you of risky streets and advise you how to be alert as a tourist. As I follow recommendations from locals, I notice how embedded within the sport and city is a culture of community and collectivism.
Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
The connections between the culture of Valparaíso and Cerro Abajo have made themselves evident. In a matter of days, frenetic Valpo has been converted into a biking event taking over the city. Yet, as Heresmann points out the very fact that “there is an incredibly fast set-up and take-down of the event generates a positive sense of innovation and management about the city.” As a result, the popularity of Cerro Abajo spreads to other areas of the world, Cerro Abajo Guanajuato and Cerro Abajo Genova, while staying rooted in the values of Cerro Abajo Valparaíso.
Cerro Abajo is a gateway into the cheerful, eccentric and bustling culture of Valparaíso. A culture with a past and future that have been and continue to be deeply influenced by the city’s rugged geography. A showcase of what is possible to achieve with a strong local social fabric that makes up this Chilean community.
