DH Taxco 2016 Photo Epic: 

City Downhill World Tour Final

This small, picturesque town located southwest of Mexico City, once famous for its silver mining, was shaken once again by the raw energy of high-speed riders and thousands of roaring fans.

For the third consecutive year, the finale of the 2016 City Downhill World Tour placed Taxco squarely in the spotlight for freeride and downhill fans, gathering more than 35,000 spectators along the course. This edition was as unique as ever, featuring a fresh track that steered riders through entirely new alleys, massive jumps never seen before on the circuit, and a heavy roster of fresh faces from the global freeride scene.

Practice begins!

The track pushed everyone to their limits right out of the gate:

• Ray Syron was sidelined early after suffering a concussion during Friday’s training session.

• Anthony Evans was also unable to race due to a severe heel injury sustained in practice.

• Javi Lopez, the Mexican DH National Champion, held it down on home soil alongside Ricardo Peredo, who clocked in as the fastest Mexican rider of the weekend.

• Filip Polc pinned it through the authentic, narrow streets of Taxco, dodging local icons like the classic VW Combi.

• Antoine Bizet was casually flip-flopping his way down the course with seamless, effortless style.

Race Day: High Stakes & Twists of Fate

Urban downhill is as unpredictable as it gets. Nothing is written, and even the usual suspects are never safe from a sudden twist of fate.

Case in point: Bernardo Cruz was on a blistering run until his bike slipped out from under him no more than 100 meters from the finish line, dropping him to 6th place. Remy Metailler pushed hard to claim 5th overall, despite a brutal crash-landing from a backflip attempt on the final jump.

Capitalizing on the chaos, Johannes Fischbach flew through the finish line to claim the win in Mexico and wrap up the overall City Downhill World Tour Championship.

Race Results:

• 1st Place: Johannes Fischbach (GER)

• 2nd Place: Filip Polc (SVK)

• 3rd Place: Bernard Kerr (GBR)

• 4th Place: Tomas Slavik (CZE)

• 5th Place: Remy Metailler (FRA)

Best Trick: Pure Gladiatorial Entertainment

The Best Trick contest is always a crowd favorite, drawing tens of thousands of fans to watch the world’s top freeriders huck themselves off the final three massive kickers.

The judging was handled by the track builders themselves: Olly Wilkins, Christian Fairclough, and Duncan Ferris. Sadly, crowd favorite Antoine Bizet—fresh off an impressive 2nd-place finish at Red Bull Rampage—suffered a foot injury during practice, taking him out of contention.

Despite the casualties, the remaining riders put on an absolute masterclass:

Best Trick Results:

•  1st Place: Sam Pilgrim (UK)

•  2nd Place: Nicholi Rogatkin (USA)

•  3rd Place: Reed Boggs (USA)

Category: Editorial & Sports Photography

Location: Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico

Featured: Adrien Loron, Tomas Slavik, Reed Boggs, DJ Brandt, Sam Pilgrim, Ethan Nell, Remy Metailler, Tomas Lemoine, Antoine Bizet, Finn Iles, Filip Polc, Johannes Fischbach, Bernard Kerr, Yoann Barelli

Photos & Story: Nicolas Switalski

Originally published by Nicolas Switalski on [Pinkbike].