New Urban DH Race Coming to Scotland This Summer

Jan 17, 2020
by Ed Spratt  
Barnardo Cruz scrubs the final jump en route to the fastest time of the day.
Could this soon be coming to Scotland?

Scotland will soon be the host of a new urban downhill race and it may even be shown live on BBC Scotland.

The race is set to make its way through the centre of Selkirk over a 2km course and is in the later stages of talks between the organisers and BBC Scotland to make the event available to watch on national television.

Paul McGreal, an organiser at Durty Events, told the Border Telegraph: “There is still much to organise but the exciting part is that the BBC like the idea and the intention is this will be one of their Friday night live broadcasts.

“We have also held early talks with Scottish Borders Council and they are supportive. The reality is that not many places could hold such an event – there are not many towns with the height difference from start to finish – and we’d love it if the urban downhill could become an annual event.”

Exact details for the event are light at the moment, but organisers are planning for the race to take place either at the end of August or the beginning of September and they hope to attract up to 60 riders to take on the urban course.

Urban downhill races have seen a huge rise in popularity with events like Red Bull Valparaiso Cerro Abajo Urban DH attracting thousands of spectators and some top pro riders but attempts to replicate their success in the UK have never been met with success. The Howard Street Dual race in Sheffield is probably the only urban race to have grown a following over the years.

Author Info:
edspratt avatar

Member since Mar 16, 2017
3,021 articles

33 Comments
  • 33 1
 Not surprised the BBC are onto it - off camber concrete / darkness / never ending rain, what could possibly go wrong!!

Oh yeah, TV Gold!
  • 4 1
 Hahahahaha Brilliant hahaha :-)
  • 4 0
 Never-ending rain!? Oh come on... The rain stops for a little while in September! Wink
  • 9 1
 I thought the whole point of urban dh being held in central/south america is that h&s rules are basically non-existent, along with the terrain there of course.. the UK government will easily find a way to suck the fun out of it (this coming from a brit having grown up there)
  • 25 3
 H+S rules are going in the bin after 31 Jan.
  • 1 0
 Not sure for how long these events have been held in South America. From my end of the bubble it appeared like Lisbon was first. Wasn't aware that H&S regulations in Portugal were so much lower than they are in the UK.
  • 1 0
 My school decided to not build a pump track, despite there being more people interested in cycling that football because it needed supervision if people were riding it.
  • 5 0
 It's viewer spectacular, and to film it must be easier than lugging equipment up a mountain so I get it. I suppose even steepness is more translatable to a non-mountain bike viewership. Anyone can see a rider hitting a big set of stairs at 60kph in Valparaiso and think wow. Not everyone gets just how steep and techy a WC course is. So best of luck hope you can pull it off
  • 3 0
 Flashback to the 2007 urban dh race in Edinburgh from the castle to the grassmarket... there's a video of me pushing up the one uphill section somewhere (I was hungover)

m.pinkbike.com/news/Edinburgh-race-2007.html
  • 1 0
 I contacted Durty Events asking for an update on this as well as entry requirements, and received the following response:

... "Unfortunately C19 trashed plans for the Urban DH for 2020 alongside loads of other stuff.

The plan at the moment is to try and run it late March/early April next year. Watch this space….

The event will be open (ish), but we need to know that riders are not going to spanner themselves – the course is tricky and obviously has lots of nasty hard surfaces!. So, we will be issuing ‘invite-only’ entries, both to folks we know, but also to those who can demonstrate they are riding to a decent level through SDA, SES etc. results. Again, watch this space…."
  • 2 1
 Hope it works out, but I can't help thinking that the reason DownTaxco and Valparaiso are so successful is that the two towns are crazily steep... In Taxco they can't just use any car as a taxi - they simply can't get up the steep streets in the wet. Nowhere in the UK compares to it.
  • 14 0
 Taxis that can’t climb up in the wet? They obviously need a steeper STA,
  • 1 0
 @dubod22: and a climb switch for them coil shocks
  • 1 0
 Redbull did Downforce in Swansea back in 2011 that was awesome, I thought and hoped urban DH was going to take off from there but never did, not in the UK anyway. Mind you with all the H&S rules and regulations here it's hard to see it gaining momentum these days
  • 2 1
 Whoever ends up broadcasting this and I believe I speak collectively for the majority of race enthusiasts /lunatics everywhere.......
WE NEED ROB WARNER ON COMMENTARY
  • 3 1
 Amazing! I want to race!!!
  • 1 0
 I was a bike messager for 6 months in Edinburgh from memory it's nothing but hills...
  • 2 0
 any word on this?
Calling from Covid Yo!
  • 1 0
 Not sure how the comment system works on this, hopefully you get some sort of notification - see my other comment regarding this
  • 2 2
 At least in Scotland riders won't need to worry about stray dogs, just the crackheads and neds
  • 1 0
 Cellphones and cameras on sticks are no less dangerous.
  • 2 1
 sounds cool...... whos the organiser.. tweedlove ? nofuss?
  • 3 1
 d'oh..... durty events
  • 2 1
 * caveat: I have no idea how steep Selkirk is!
  • 4 4
 urban racing in a country where the locals speak english...kind of. i'm kidding, for f%ck sake
  • 2 0
 be more like urban XC
  • 2 1
 Yes because Selkirk is not built on any kind of hill whatsoever
  • 1 0
 I forgot XC was ridden on a completely flat trail.
  • 1 0
 Well we know it wont be Craaap!
  • 2 1
 I want to see Bryceland & Peaty join the Syndicate for this one
  • 2 1
 Sign me up Scotty! ????







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv42 0.029331
Mobile Version of Website