Riding high: Red Bull Cerro Abajo makes European debut with Videe
To mark its 20th anniversary, Red Bull Cerro Abajo took place outside of South America and landed in Europe for the first time, with the epic urban downhill racing series heading to Genoa in Italy for the 2024 European Capital of Sport (20 October 2025).
Its one-of-a-kind geographical and urban structure made Genoa the ideal place to test the 32 riders and to bring a breathtaking mixture of adrenaline, talent and entertainment to viewers across the world.
The athletes had to navigate a 2.2km course from the mountain to the sea – with an altitude drop of 279m – twisting and turning along a maze of streets, carrùggio (the typical narrow alleys of Liguria’s old towns) and lanes and reaching up to 80km/h on their MTB. All day long, enthusiasm spread among the participants and the 35,000 spectators who crowded the city centre.
Few disciplines offer such spectacular experiences and challenges. Staircases, artificial jumps, straight roads, narrow curves, roofs, buildings… There’s nothing else like the thrill of Cerro Abajo’s circuit.
The event was broadcast live on Red Bull TV, live streamed on Red Bull’s YouTube channel, and is now available on Italian streaming platform RaiPlay.
To ensure the greatest AV quality and a fully reliable broadcast service, Red Bull Media House entrusted the technical production to Videe. The company has significant experience in dealing with extremely challenging productions and once more it showed its ability to deliver tailor made solutions to meet specific and highly demanding requirements.
“We sharpened up the technical and cabling project focusing on the particular location and timings constraints. One of the biggest complexities we faced was that the city circuit was not closed to traffic the days before the event, which meant that cabling and dismantling would need to comply with a very strict schedule. Our proposal maximised the efficiency of the system while limiting every inconvenience that such an event might have caused to the city’s daily life and was highly appreciated. It was really amazing to work again with the Red Bull team: they’re always ahead of sport productions and that’s really impressive. Their innovative, collaborative and passionate approach gave us the opportunity to outdo ourselves. I would like to say a big thank you to them for choosing us for this history in the making event,” said Marco De Anna, sales manager Videe.
Christoph Tritscher, executive producer on Cerro Abajo, said: “Red Bull Cerro Abajo in Genova was a very complex production as the event took place in the middle of the city. We are always looking for production partners who love challenges and are eager to grow together with us. Videe delivered a remarkable quality despite those challenging circumstances. From our initial briefing to the final execution the team from Videe was professional, adaptable and collaborative.”
“During onsite surveys we evaluated each and every detail of the parcours also from a logistical point of view in order to obtain the best results in terms of both shooting and cabling. In particular, cables were laid in a quite complex environment, which included passing through the city’s funicular and over public roads, overcoming possible interferences with the trolleybus line and adapting to controlled power outages,” reported Gino Campagna R&D and technical dept coordinator, Videe.
To cover the event, Videe provided its 4K HDR OB truck, OBX. The spacious working environment and its technological power proved key in securing a top-end live production, which succeeded in captivating a wide audience worldwide.
“We managed 35 cameras, including wide-angle camcorders, RF cameras, DJI Mavic and FPV drones, micro cameras, a Jimmy Jib, a super-slo motion, and PTZ remote controlled cameras. To guarantee the best performing and video control, we opted for a complex and customised configuration of the video switcher. A TVU network and LiveU technology for enhanced live coverage and disaster recovery were also provided to secure the continuity of the system and a safe live broadcast.
“We were also responsible for the three commentary positions that were set up at the finish line. To ease the signals’ interconnection and distribution we implemented very efficient cabling solutions relying on a 20km fibre backbone. We created five strategic hubs along the circuit relying on a customised Riedel MediorNet system, which helped in reducing the amount of cables and therefore optimised the signal delivery to the OB truck,” commented Giuliano Lot, chief broadcast engineer, Videe.
“When approaching such a complex production, efficient team management is crucial. From the very early stages of the pre-production, our expertise allowed us to pick the right people for the right job and to successfully coordinate the almost 60 people involved onsite. They all proved to be highly professional and able to adapt to demanding working conditions.
“For example, to fully complete the cabling within the limited time available we relied on four rigging teams who worked during the night – when a temporary electricity shortage was agreed – under the supervision of our production manager. Dedication, collaboration and team spirit are our added value and I’m very proud to say that everyone did a really great job. The event was a success,” remarked Arianna Censani, production coordinator, Videe.
“Working with Videe on the Red Bull Cerro Abajo in Genoa was exceptional. They expertly handled the TV live broadcast for the downhill bike race through the city, showcasing their professional approach and technical skill. Their flexibility and commitment to managing last-minute changes were impressive. We look forward to future collaborations,” commented Martin Pichler, senior production manager, Red Bull Media House.