Mountain biking has an important appointment in Córdoba with the Desafío al Río Pinto

He Pinto River Challengethe most important mountain bike race in Latin America, is preparing for its 27th edition, which will take place Sunday 30 April in La Cumbre, Córdoba. Over the years, this very special event has become one of the most anticipated events on the calendar for performance riders and fans alike, a fusion of competition, improvement and camaraderie that make it unique.

With an estimate of about five thousand members, there is no more attractive ride on the continent of Río Pinto. It not only attracts Argentina’s best – there will be representatives from every province – but also cyclists from other countries in the region and the world. For professionals, while not assigning UCI points, It is a competition that guarantees prestige and hierarchy in the cycling environment; while for the amateur it represents a unique opportunity to compete with the top.

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“The Pinto River Challenge has become a tradition for all of us who love cycling for all that it implies: folklore, the arrival, compete with the thickest in Argentina and feel one more. Comparing it to football, it’s like starting a game,” he explains. Martin Pampas Ferraricoach of the adapted and regular cycling team of the competition.

Even the adventure of facing Río Pinto, nobility obliges, is not for everyone. The course constitutes a challenge of 85 km in distance with more accessible sections and more challenging ones (there are around 1,280 meters of cumulative elevation gain) in the varied landscape of the Cordovan Mountains. But beyond the final timers, the goal for the vast majority is to be able to complete it. “The result in the general classification is somewhat anecdotal for me. It is in itself how much he managed to improve and feel free through a bicycle race”, adds Ferrari.

Beyond the presence of thousands of bikers from all over the country, the Río Pinto has a different flavor for the locals. “As a Cordovan, it is special to participate in this race, prepare in advance, hit the road weeks before the date. Every year the Rio Pinto Challenge is one of the main objectives of the season”assures Vanessa Rollea member of the Ladies Power team, who will try to be a prophet in her land this year.

Marked in the calendar for the last weekend of April, the DRP also generates a large tourist movement for the area, which in those days is overflowing with cyclists, family members and the general public, and exhausts its hotel capacity: in 2022 there were about 25 thousand travelers who came to La Cumbre. There will also be activities on Friday and Saturday, with talks, competitions for the youngest and an expo with the best brands in the sector.

“The experience of participating is something unique. It’s like a community, the internal climate among those who run is one of camaraderie, respect, being all together in an adventure. Beyond the fact that you want to go fast, the organization, the previous one with the expo and the people dedicated to the event who went well, prepare the participants in the best possible way so that everything is in a super pleasant atmosphere”contributes Nicholas Muszkatentrepreneur in the bicycle sector who joined the Challenge as an amateur cyclist.

In the absence of a month for a new edition of the Río Pinto, everything is being prepared in Córdoba for an event that promises an unforgettable day of great emotions. The greatest exponents of Latin American MTB, thousands of bikers who dream of making history, dream landscapes and a first-rate organization will give a unique setting to the great annual mountain bike festival in Argentina.