“The toughest fixed gear race in the world” it is the best description that comes to mind to refer to Cielos Infernales, the fixed gear bike race that took place on December 5 in Mexico City. A different race to which we are used to do, a new format, 120 km spread over three mountain passes, favelas, poor road conditions and many, many climbs.
Participants had only the location of the 3 checkpoints and arrival, which we could easily be compared to a stage of the Tour de France but on fixed gear, and on the outskirts of Mexico City.
Second category climbs and descents of the same difficulty with open traffic, trucks and streets in very poor condition. For many riders the race became a real personal challenge between adventure / survival and competition. The atmosphere was insurmountable, as almost always happens in such extreme competition, the desire to get the victory is always part of racing but in Cielos infernales, maybe the challenge was really fighting each rider himself and not with the rest of the competitors.
The results were these:
Men category:
- Jaime Napoles (4:04)
- Austin Horse (4:25)
- Os Salgado (4:36)
Women category:
- Kym NonStop (5:51)
- Ana Puga (6:14)
- Ale Medina (6.30)
We had the chance to talk to Safa Brian one of the criminal minds behind Cielos Infernales.
How did the idea of Cielos Infernales come up?
The idea for the race came up due to the ridings around Mexico City. Those climbs are well known to local cyclists. I’ve ridden them so often, one day I rode all three of them in one ride and thought, hey this could be a cool race.
What’s the essence of the race?
I think the essence is perseverance. It’s great to be the winner, but most people were happy to finish it. There were a lot of smiling racers that came in towards the end. Hill climbing is always a battle against oneself, hard to do, but a great and unique sense of accomplishment once it’s done.
How was the race?
It was fast, the first finishers came in quickly (just over 4 hours). It was good fight, no one was sure who was going to win before the race. We had local riders going up against really strong competition from the USA. In the end the podiums had a mix of local and US riders. Besides the result, everyone had a great time. Vaiven bike store organised some drinks and food at the end where we drank beers and racers talked to each other about their crazy day. In the night the party has been moved but did not stop.
Describe Cielos Infernales in one sentence…
Those who know, know.
