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Red Bull Cerro Abajo 2026: The stories behind an unforgettable season
Roger Vieira chased a first title, Sebastián Holguín broke a long-standing record, and women raced Red Bull Cerro Abajo for the first time. Revisit the season's defining moments.
With a new champion crowned in Stuttgart, the 2025–26 Red Bull Cerro Abajo season delivered record-breaking runs, historic firsts and some of the closest racing yet. Here are the key races, riders, courses and moments that defined the season.
01
Roger Vieira wins Red Bull Cerro Abajo title
It was an elated Roger Vieira who finally sealed his first-ever Red Bull Cerro Abajo World Series title after a hard-fought season spanning four stops across two continents. The Brazilian became only the second titleholder in World Series history, with Juanfer Vélez winning the two previous editions.
Vieira opened the 2025-2026 season with a stunning victory at Red Bull Genova Cerro Abajo, outpacing the blistering speed of Germany's Johannes Fischbach to mark his maiden World Series win. After a steady result at the second stop in Valparaíso, Chile, Vieira was back on the pace when the World Series returned to Italy for the third stop of the season. The Brazilian rider's win in Italy made it two for two in Genoa, cementing his place at the top of the overall standings.
With the World Series title still up for grabs, Vieira headed to Stuttgart for the inaugural German stop on completely unfamiliar terrain. He held his nerve, finishing runner-up behind Spanish rider Alex Marín.
Roger Vieira celebrates his victory with the fans
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
As the only rider to finish the season with more than one victory, and thanks to thank second place in Stuttgart, he comfortably secured the overall title.
02
Stuttgart expands the European stage
2026 marked a new chapter for Red Bull Cerro Abajo in Europe, with a brand-new stop added to the World Series calendar. Stuttgart entered the fold for 2026, its brutal 12-obstacle, 1.2km course built around the famous Stäffele – the stairways that connect the city’s hillsides.
Germany's debut also doubled as the season finale, transforming the city's steep stairways, narrow alleys and tight urban corridors into a fresh battleground.
Stuttgart signalled the growing presence of the world's most extreme urban race on European soil, as the World Series reached beyond its Latin American roots. What started as a single race in Valparaíso in 2003 later transformed into a full-fledged Red Bull Cerro Abajo World Series in 2023, before reaching across the Atlantic to add Genoa to the 2024 race calendar. The Italian stop featured twice this season, priming fans for another European showdown at Stuttgart's frenetic 2026 debut.
03
Sebastian Holguin’s record-breaking run in Valparaíso
The 2025–2026 season added another chapter to the history books when 21-year-old Colombian rider Sebastian Holguín nailed his Red Bull Valparaíso Cerro Abajo Finals run, claiming the win to become the new King of the Port.
Having set the fastest time in qualifying the previous day, Holguín was feeling the pressure as the last rider out on the course. His blistering pace was evident straight out of the gate as he went fastest at the first split. From there, the Colombian delivered a masterclass in precision, pace and power, carrying his lead through every sector to the finish.
Sebastián Holguín on the way to setting a new course record
© Jean Louis de Heeckeren/Red Bull Content Pool
Holguín crossed the line in 2:15.432, securing victory by 0.789 seconds and smashing Tomáš Slavík’s course record, set during his 2023 victory. The record-breaking run elevated Holguín to the top of the Red Bull Cerro Abajo World Series, but he was unable to hold on to top spot and eventually had to settle for second place overall.
04
Paz Gallo wins the first-ever World Series women's race
The 2026 season finale added another defining step in the evolution of the series, with the first women’s competition held at an official World Series stop.
Six elite riders took on the full 1.2km Red Bull Stuttgart Cerro Abajo course in the women's competition, descending 130 metres through the city’s iconic Stäffele stairways and tackling the same obstacles as the men.
Paz Gallo made the steps look easy
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
Chile’s Paz Gallo made history as the first women’s winner, stopping the clock at 1:55.617 to edge Germany’s Nina Hoffmann by just 0.118 seconds, while Italy’s Veronika Widmann completed the women's podium. It marked the first time in the series' 23-year history that women had raced for an official World Series result.
05
Tuhoto-Ariki Pene delivers a breakthrough podium in Stuttgart
Titleholder Vieira and race winners Holguín and Marín might have scooped the headlines this season, but another rider has quietly been building one of the standout stories of the year.
Already known for his versatility and smooth riding style, New Zealand's Tuhoto-Ariki Pene made his World Series debut mid-season in Genoa in June 2026. He finished the Italian race in fourth place. The New Zealander followed up with a third-place finish in Stuttgart, earning a breakthrough podium in only his second Red Bull Cerro Abajo appearance.
Both results saw Pene wrap up the season in sixth overall, positioning the 25-year-old as a possible title contender next season.
06
Alex Marín wins in Stuttgart by just 0.055s
Alex Marín celebrates his victory in Stuttgart
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
Spain's Marín became the first-ever winner at Red Bull Stuttgart Cerro Abajo, posting 1:44.033 to edge ahead of Roger Vieira by just 0.055 seconds in the tightest finish of the season. His win highlighted the razor-thin margins that separated the top riders throughout the day, on a course where precision was as important as pace.
The 1.2km Stuttgart track featured 12 numbered obstacles – the most in Red Bull Cerro Abajo history. Riders tackled everything from the Deck Drop Gate and Pond Gap to the Stäffele Drop before the final sprint into Wilhelmsplatz.
The course also delivered some of the season’s longest airtime, courtesy of features such as the 11m blind Jeep Compass Gap, which launched riders straight into another staircase section, and the Bosch Booster, where a kicker sent them over a 16m gap. The 8.5m-high Bridge Drop added another test of commitment, sending riders sideways from a pedestrian bridge onto the road below.
No rider had raced Stuttgart’s course before this event, making it uncharted terrain for the entire field. Marín’s win capped a Stuttgart debut built on milestones: a new location, a first-time winner, the series’ first women’s competition, and its most obstacle-packed course yet.
See more highlights and big moments from the 2025-2026 Red Bull Cerro Abajo World Series:
Tuhoto-Ariki Pene, Roger Vieira and Alex Marín on the podium in Stuttgart
© Marcel Lämmerhirt / Red Bull Content Pool
Alex Marin celebrates Red Bull Stuttgart Cerro Abajo victory
© Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
Alex Marin soars over the finish line at Red Bull Stuttgart Cerro Abajo
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
German rider Johannes Fischbach ignites the home crowd
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
