Lisboa DownTown 2009

Check out the final results here

Steve Peat crowned again in Lisbon
BIG FUN IN THE STREETS OF ALFAMA

A huge crowd of 20.000 watched live the Nissan Lisboa Down Town Lisbon – the first international urban mountain bike down hill that celebrates this years its edition ten. Brit and veteran Steve Peat was once again crowned “king” of the competition.

The very heart of the Portuguese Capital was transformed for one day into a down hill track. Instead of mud, stones and trees, participants had to negotiate severe obstacles made along the centuries by men. Stairs, tram rails, sharp curves, slippery pavements and even a car. This was the cocktail proposed along the 760-metre racetrack, between the emblematic Saint Jorge Castle and the Tagus River.

Mountain bike legends like Steve Peat (Great Britain), Greg Minnaar (South Africa), Rafael Alvarez (Spain), Mick Hannah (Australia) or Filip Polc (Slovakia) raced against the best local riders for the title.
That was an emotional afternoon for everyone, but in the end Steve Peat (Santa Cruz Syndicate) was able to go home with his 8th victory in the Nissan Lisboa Down Town: “I feel I am in the top again. This was the hardest race I have ever had in an urban circuit, after a bad qualification session. The race was very hard and difficult and I felt the pressure until the last second!”. Aussie Mick Hannah (GT Bicycles) finished second and South-African Greg Minnaar was third, while Portuguese Emanuel Pombo made a sensational forth place.

Course Map is already available. Find out here where the world’s best riders are going to sprint!!

The riders who will be competing on the 10th edition of Lisboa Downtown are already confirmed. You can download the list here and find out the names that you can see on the streets of Alfama on the next Saturday, May 23.

PROGRAMME
2pm: Semi-final
4pm: Final
5pm: Awards Ceremony

TELEVISION BROADCAST
RTP2: 2pm to 7pm (Live from 4pm to 5.30pm)
Eurosport 2: Re-Live Finals 5.15pm to 6.45pm

INTERNET
Website: lisboadowntown.sapo.pt
Sapo Vídeos: Live from the Final 4pm to 5.30pm in http://videos.sapo.pt/lisboadowntown

ORGANIZATION
Extreme Conteúdos

SPONSORS
Main Sponsor: Nissan
Sponsor: CML and Red Bull

TEN YEARS FLYING ON THE STREETS OF ALFAMA

Next Saturday (May 23) the action sports fans have an event they cannot miss: the Nissan Lisboa Down Town is back to the streets of Alfama to celebrate a unique moment. The most emblematic urban downhill race of the planet will celebrate its 10th edition with great guests, the best riders in the world and the national talents!

As the course represents a challenge not recommendable to novices, only the best of the best have a place at the Nissan Lisboa Down Town. The main man is without a doubt the British veteran rider (35 years) Steve Peat, who has already won seven of the nine editions. However, he is not the only international bike star visiting us – there are other athletes positioned at the top spots of the UCI World Ranking and even a defending world champion (the Spanish Rafael Lucas).

MOTIVATED PORTUGUESE RIDERS

Since its first edition (2000) Nissan Lisboa Down Town is an exception stage for the Portuguese riders. It’s not every day that you get to measure your strength – especially at home – against the best talents in the world of BTT downhill. Though they never managed to menace the foreign domination, truth is our riders have largely surpassed expectations.

26-year-old Cláudio Loureiro, currently ranked as No. 42 of the Downhill World Ranking (UCI), is the best Portuguese rider ever. For Saturday, the motivation is high: “Above all, I want to give my best and I think I’m in a good condition to fight against the stars who visit us and, if possible, I want to break my personal record, i.e., to finish above the 5th place. It’s not easy but the Portuguese crowd gives us a special strength!” Emanuel Pombo, currently ahead of the Portuguese Cup of the sport, is also a reference to have in mind among the Portuguese riders.

Alfama is once again the stage of the most renowned international event of urban downhill, this time on May 23 at 2pm. It seems that for the 10th time!

The Lisboa Downtown is a downhill BTT competition that usually takes place in steep mountains. The Downtown brings that sport to the city, in a scenario which trades the dirt trails for the stony walkways, the single tracks for tunnels and the natural drops for breathtaking stair sets.

Lisbon, the Portuguese city which has long been known as the World Capital of Urban Downhill gathers thousands of spectators every year who thirst for tricky maneuvers from the best national and international downhill athletes. The most famous names are already confirmed and from now on, the clock is ticking down to the craziest day of the year in Alfama, the day when we will know if anyone can cast Steve Peat off the throne – the man who has been the king of Lisbon for the 7 last consecutive editions.

New obstacles on the course and international young talents are only some of the news on this edition. Stay focused on the official site of the event, totally renewed by Active Media, at http://lisboadowntown.sapo.pt and find out everything firsthand.

Unfortunately, as Alfama doesn’t have space for everybody, the event will be broadcasted live worldwide, through RTP and Eurosport. If there isn’t a television close by, you can watch the event live in HD on Sapo Videos.

The Lisboa Downtown 2009, organized by EXTREME Conteúdos, wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Nissan, Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, Red Bull, MOP TV, SAPO, RTP, Bike Magazine, Global Notícias, 24Horas, Diário de Notícias, Mundo Universitário, Mega FM, EGEAC, Help, Fonte Viva, Active Media, Hotel Amazónia, Diginor, Sient, Federação Portuguesa de Ciclismo and Union Cycliste International.