Urban downhill Cerro Abajo 2025: Johannes Fischbach: "Like the last piece of dirt!"

1. Valparaíso, Chile (2 March)
2. Guanajuato, Mexico (29 March)
3. Genoa, Italy (12 October)

But more stops are being discussed for this racing season, including one in India. We spoke to Fischi about strategy, self-discipline, stair training, podium ambitions and the danger of killing girls.

Interview with Johannes "Fischi" Fischbach

BIKE: You've switched from GasGas back to Raymon as your bike sponsor - now you don't have a big bike as your favourite bike for the Cerro Abajo Urban Downhills again!

Fischi: At least I have a 170cc bike - a real enduro bike. It's almost on a par with a downhill bike. If I had the choice, I would always favour a big bike because it's not slower, but you have more reserves if something does go wrong.

Will you be adding extra weight to your bike like in Genoa?

I'm currently testing it out. But it looks like I'll be strapping another kilo to my frame.

Last year in Valparaíso you had modified your e-bike - that wasn't an option?

That would also have been possible, but it would have involved a huge amount of work. A ZF engine is installed in the Raymon. You can't just walk into such a large industrial company and ask them to hollow out the engine and tinker with it - they certainly wouldn't want to do that.

How are you getting on with the Raymon Enduro?

Good, I don't see any problems there. The only catch is that I like to ride a Mullet because I have quite short legs. But the Raymon is only available as an All-29, so let's see if I can convert it. Otherwise I'll have to get used to it.

Last year in Ibiza, you raced down all the stairs you could find. But how do you prepare at home in the wintry Upper Palatinate?

I can't do stair training here, that's true. But I'm otherwise very fit. That's also important. I had a strict training plan and I stuck to it, even when I didn't feel like it. For example, 2.5 hours of roller training - five times a week.

So like David Goggins.

I don't know who David Goggins is, but I went through with my training.

David Goggins is an ex-Navy Seal who later ran ultra-marathons and wrote a book about his life ("Can't Hurt Me"), which is currently on the bestseller lists. His motto: "The Only Easy Day was Yesterday - go for it!"

Ha, ha .... I don't think I'm as tough as a Navy Seal, but yes: I've trained hard and pulled it off (laughs)!

Already nervous before the race in Valparaíso? Last year you had a horrendous crash in a tight bend in the final run. Will you have to go round this bend again?

Maybe Red Bull will get a licence for a new circuit this year. Red Bull already tried that last year. If not, the track will be the same and I'll have to go through that tricky corner again.

Bad?

No, because that wasn't a difficult spot per se. I got stuck a bit, with serious consequences. It happened because of the racing situation. But that can happen anywhere when you're riding at the limit. The spot itself doesn't give me a racing pulse. Of course I think about my crash in the bend, but that's all.

What are your goals for the Red Bull Cerro Abajo Valparaíso in Chile?

I want to finish on the podium.

Have you brought your special tyres again?

I always have the tyres with the harder compounds in my luggage. And I'm still convinced that I'm faster with them. But in Genoa, the rain cancelled out my efforts. Maybe now in Chile.

You've just been to Prague. What did you do there?

There was a downhill race in a shopping mall - a pretty cool format.

What was so cool about it?

The shopping mall was huge. We started on the fourth floor and travelled down to the ground floor via jumps, drops and stairs. It was an absolute crowd-puller. I reckon there were ten thousand people watching.

Your great rival Tomas Slavic was also at the start. Did you manage to beat Tomas?

I narrowly lost. I was still in front at the intermediate stage, but then I lost out to him. The second half of the course was very sprint-heavy and he pulled away from me. I couldn't see any point because Slavic is too strong. I have to enviously recognise that.

Why - does Slavic train with more self-discipline?

I think we train in a similar way. We went through the same "school" with BMX and fourcross etc., but Slavic can train harder. But Slavic can train harder. I know exactly what I should be doing. But my knees are no longer up to it. For example, deadlifting with a lot of weight. I haven't been able to do that for 4-5 years. It's the only way to achieve explosiveness and pure power. I once tore my patella tendon, shattered my ankle and all the hard training with 180-kilo squats wore down the cartilage. That's why I have to consistently warm up and stretch before training. I've been to every doctor imaginable over the last few years, but nothing has helped.

There are currently three dates on the City Downhill calendar: Chile, Mexico and Italy. There was once talk of expanding the Cerro Abajo series.

She will. One race in India has already been confirmed. That will be part of the 2025 series. I find the race in India particularly exciting. It's sure to be crazy.

You've ridden almost everything: Red Bull Hardline, DH World Cup, Enduro World Cup, E-Enduro World Cup, Red Bull Skygate etc. What is the ultimate race format for you?

Downhill World Cup - down a descent. As fast as possible. That is the supreme discipline.

But that also applies to Hardline and Cerro Abajo. I was thinking of the racing format of the future.

I can imagine that the Hardline will outstrip the Downhill World Cup. It's impressive how Red Bull pushes the limit. However, I don't think there should be a women's classification in the Hardline.

A bold statement in this day and age. What do you mean?

They'll kill a girl if they carry on like this. That's just the way it is.

Why?

Formats such as the Red Bull Hardline or Red Bull Rampage should not have a women's category. That should be banned. The women take part because they believe they have to - but such a petite body breaks when things go wrong.

I had that thought when Erice Van Leuven got injured so badly at Red Bull Tasmania.

They're not allowed to do that. 1. you don't want a girl to end up in a wheelchair or die. 2. you can't push the format the way it should be pushed, after all, the Hardline is supposed to be the toughest downhill in the world. In other words, the most extreme format in the world. But if you make it so that women can also master the course, you water down the format.

How could the problem be solved?

If the competition is supposed to be extreme like Red Bull Hardline or the Utah stuff, there can't be a women's category. The women need their own course. Just like they did last year at the Red Bull Rampage with a separate women's competition. In other words: a separate women's hardline. But please don't send the women down the men's course! That's my opinion.

Would you have been interested in Tasmania at the Hardline to ride along?

Phew, that's unrealistic right now.

Because?

Because far too little time on the big bike. If you've only ridden enduro for two years, a hardline would be like jumping in at the deep end. You have to train for it and prepare well.

You've already been to the Hardline in Wales. Is the Hardline still on your list?

I'm confident that I can ride the track and jump the jumps - but it's a completely different matter in racing mode. And I want to race and be competitive. To do that, you have to spend a lot of time on the downhiller and feel comfortable. Otherwise things will go wrong. Simply going there - those days are over. The length of the track in Tasmania also shocked me! Over three minutes! When you hit a 28-metre jump at full throttle after three minutes and are completely exhausted, it gets really dangerous. You have to be fully geared up for the downhill.

What do you think of 18-year-old Asa Vermette?

Unbelievable! Really incredible! The new generation is really hitting its stride. I don't understand how you can drive like that! (Laughs).

Jackson Goldstone also flew through the trail like quicksilver after a serious knee injury.

Crazy. This is a completely new riding style. It has nothing to do with standard downhilling. So much flow and this aggression. These guys are pushing all the time. On TV you don't realise how steep, how dangerous, how technically difficult the terrain is - and they're blasting down there ... Wow! Unbelievable! Words fail me.

The time has come on 2 March: Cerro Abajo Valparaíso. The city downhill is in tune with the spirit of the times and the popularity of the format is growing. Will it also attract World Cup riders?

I don't even know the list of drivers. But I know that a lot of people have asked the organiser. However, the rider contingent is limited to 30 riders. The response is very high, perhaps also because many Worldcuppers have not found a team and therefore want to switch to other racing series.

Ah, so you really believe that the World Cup has become so elitist that many riders are forced to consider other racing formats.

In any case. If you haven't found a team, that's your only alternative. And the Red Bull races are very well organised. Red Bull takes care of the riders, compared to that you are rubbish at the World Cups.

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