Gravity Bike in Antioquia: Nine People Have Died in Two Years
A 20-year-old man died and a woman was seriously injured Sunday while riding a modified bicycle on Las Palmas in Envigado, one of several Antioquia roads where gravity bike riders descend at high speed. The crash was the latest fatal incident linked to a practice that has left nine people dead on roads across the […]
Gravity biking has claimed nine lives in Antioquia over the past two years, with numerous serious injuries also reported. The dangerous practice involves riders descending steep, public roads at high speeds on modified bicycles. In the latest incident, a 20-year-old man died and a woman was critically injured after losing control while turning on the Rionegro-Medellin road.
The cyclist struck a fixed object and died at the scene; his passenger suffered multiple injuries and was taken to a hospital. This crash occurred on Sept. 20 at kilometer 14 of the road. Las Palmas has now recorded two fatal gravity bike crashes, with a 17-year-old cyclist losing control and hitting a fixed object on Dec. 20, 2025.
The practice is concentrated on Antioquia's steep roads, including the Las Palmas corridor, Caldas bypass, Medellin-Bogota highway, La Ceja-Don Diego and La Union-La Ceja. Modified bicycles can weigh up to 80 kilograms, enabling speeds exceeding 100 km/h on downhill stretches. Authorities have attempted various approaches to regulate the practice, including enforcement, prohibitions and organized events.
In Medellin, gravity biking was included in a downhill and adrenaline festival, while La Ceja prohibited modified bicycles through decrees. Emergency crews in several municipalities have responded to gravity bike incidents, with firefighters also attending in La Ceja, La Union, El Retiro, Medellin, Caldas, Amaga and Barbosa.
Written by urgent.news from Colombia One's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
