MERIDA rider Toni Ferreiro wins Vila de Sarria Urban Downhill on the ONE-SIXTY

MERIDA mountain bike athlete Toni Ferreiro has taken first place at one of Spain's premier urban MTB races aboard his ONE-SIXTY enduro bike, putting together a precise and fast run in the narrow streets and leaving the competition behind him.

The Vila de Sarria DHU (Urban Down Hill) race is held in a town famous for being one of the key points on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail. However, last weekend the ancient walls were filled with the noise of riders taking on the big jumps and drops that had been built especially for the event in ancient town, while gathered crowds cheered them on.

Toni clinched victory aboard his ONE-SIXTY enduro bike, lightly modified to have more pressure in the shocks to better cope with the big hits, plus lightweight carbon wheels and lightweight tyres at higher pressure for maximum rolling speed.

"The circuit is very fast and slippery with some narrow areas where you have to aim very well" he said, adding with some understatement that he was "happy to come out in one piece, falls on urban descents are very hard".

With large man-made features, high speeds and little margin for error, urban downhill racing is one of the most challenging formats for riders, but it's also a spectacular event that draws in crowds that come to see riders test their mettle in the urban environment.

to keep up to date with Toni's racing action, you can follow him on Instagram here.

If you'd like to know more about the ONE-SIXTY Toni rode to victory, you can check out the product page here.