Photo Recap: Down Vallarta 2019 

Speed, Style, and Stairs to the Sea

For its third consecutive year, Puerto Vallarta hosted the iconic Down Puerto Vallarta Speed and Style. Riders from all over the globe—and across multiple mountain bike disciplines—converged on this Pacific paradise for one simple, chaotic objective: bombing down steep alleys and endless staircases at full tilt, straight onto the beach.

As always, the spectacle was split into two distinct battles: pure, raw velocity for the Speed title, and big-air creativity for the Style contest.

Speed: The Clock Doesn't Care About Favorites

Designed once again by BSI, the track was short, steep, and relentlessly physical. With minimal pedaling sections and high-stakes urban technical features, the absolute sweet spot for a winning run sat at a blistering 1:26.30.

The format gave riders one warm-up run followed by two timed runs, with only the fastest time counting toward the podium. While the usual suspects were ready to defend their turf, urban downhill is notoriously unpredictable. Former champions like Tomas Slavik, Remy Metailler, and Bernardo Cruz found themselves pushed to the absolute limit by a hungry new generation of urban racers.

When the dust settled, Frenchman Adrien Loron snatched victory by a microscopic +0.21-second margin over Pedro Ferreira (fresh off his Valparaíso win). Rounding out the podium was Colombian rising star Camilo Sanchez, posting a razor-sharp 1:26.54. Mark his name down—this kid is a missile.

Track Notes & Snapshot Moments

• Remy Metailler: A few rare micro-mistakes cost him precious tenths, keeping him off the top spot this time around.

• Bernardo Cruz: Took a heavy slam in Saturday’s practice and couldn't quite shake off the impact for his final race run.

• Ray Fournier: Mexico’s 3rd-place hero from last year went on an "all-or-nothing" mission. Unfortunately, the track claimed the "nothing" side of that bet.

• Ricardo Peredo: Kept his composure and claimed the crown as the fastest Mexican rider of the weekend.

• Tomas Slavik: Suffered a flat in warm-ups, posted a scorching first run just 0.47 behind Loron, but couldn't hold the pace on run two.

• Adrien Loron: Unsponsored, hungry, and completely locked in. A hugely deserved win that was a long time coming!

Style: 40,000 Fans, 3 Jumps, Zero Margin for Error

If Speed is about survival against the clock, Style is pure gladiatorial entertainment. An estimated 40,000 screaming fans packed the streets, balconies, and beach barriers to watch riders like Sam Pilgrim, Ethan Nell, DJ Brandt, and Reed Boggs launch themselves into the golden hour sunset.

Judged on the combined execution of tricks across three massive kickers at the bottom of the course, the riders put on a masterclass in aerial acrobatics:

• 1st Place – Bienvenido Aguado (ESP): Front Flip Tuck No Hander ➔ Back Flip Table ➔ Front Flip Superman (Absolute insanity).

• 2nd Place – Sam Pilgrim (UK): Flip Tuck No Hander ➔ Front Flip ➔ 360 Invert.

• 3rd Place – DJ Brandt (USA): Flip Can ➔ Opposite 360 ➔ Front Flip.

Final Standings

• Speed Podiums: 1. Adrien Loron (FRA) | 2. Pedro Ferreira (CHI) | 3. Camilo Sanchez (COL)

• Style Podiums: 1. Bienvenido Aguado (ESP) | 2. Sam Pilgrim (UK) | 3. DJ Brandt (USA)

Category: Editorial & Sports Photography

Location: Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Featured: Adrien Loron, Tomas Slavik, Pedro Ferreira, Camilo Sanchez, Reed Boggs, DJ Brandt, Sam Pilgrim, Bienvenido Aguado, Ethan Nell, Remy Metailler, Tomas Lemoine, Antoine Bizet, Antony Villoni 

Photos & Story: Nicolas Switalski

Originally published by Nicolas Switalski on [Pinkbike].