Video: My Junior Experience at the UCI Downhill World Championship 2014

The UCI Downhill World Championship 2014 (Hajfell, Norway) was the third UCI race where I competed against riders from all the world. The first two were the Round #5 and Round #6 at the UCI World Cup, my first global races as a Junior rider. Racing for first time at these was amazing. Felt nervous the first time, because it was the first time a peruvian rider raced worldwide. Being the first peruvian rider at the UCI World Cup put me in a difficult moment, but then, after racing the Round #5 I realized the importance of being there and representing my country. Receiving daily messages from people wishing me the best was incredible. Messages always motivate myself.

Photo: QJ Media

For the UCI Downhill World Championship 2014, I had the opportunity to travel with my cousin Juan Pedro Illescas (Peruvian DH rider). He helped me with every problem I had during my day. The most important thing we did was to study the course. We saw lines and share ideas to come with a better one. First practice runs were a bit difficult, because it was my first time riding Hafjell. The terrain was unusual for me, so I needed to ride my bike differently. Peruvian tracks have no rocks and trees meaning that we do not have hard technical sections. We started testing different lines looking for the faster one. This helped me gain more confidence to perform a better run.

Photo: QJ Media

Finally, the day arrived and I was ready to do my best run. My qualifying run was not that good, but I knew I had a lot of power for my final run. I was one of the first to go, so I warm-up and got ready for it. My final run was amazing and I stayed at the hot seat waiting for the Top-10 Junior. I ended 6th place. It was an unbelievable moment. My cousin could not believe it. I knew I could do it, but I never realized the feeling after succeeding, it was incredible, an amazing experience.


Sebastián Alfaro.
www.sebastianalfaro.com
www.facebook.com/alfarobike
twitter.com/sebasalfarop
instagram.com/sebasalfarop
www.youtube.com/user/sebasalfarop