The mountain bike team of the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional (UPN) took first place in the first university race of this sport in the women's single category. 

The competition, planned by Universidad Militar Nueva Granada and the Sistema Universitario Estatal (SUE), had around two hundred participants of different ages representing several institutions, such as Universidad de la Sabana, Universidad de Cundinamarca, Universidad Santo Tomás, and Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD). 

The Rector of the UPN, explained that during the second semester of 2018, our team was created in order to promote sports, and thanks to regular work with the university community this result has been got. 

Representing UPN –four staff members, a teacher, and a student– they took part of the competition and raced a 2.2 km track where they demonstrated their skills by passing through a forest area with great technical handicaps. The cross country was the discipline used, the most common specialty of mountain biking. 

It is important to highlight that route was established upon short track modality, i.e., obstacles, such as climbs, descents and curves that require specific skills to skilled bicycle handling. Additionally, the race demanded 'going full throttle' during the entire mileage, that is, there is always an increasing demand, which makes it a constant power. 

Professor Natalia Duarte, the team coaching, who additionally was awarded first place, says about her participation was an extremely rewarding experience because she ran on behalf of UPN, so she could share with boys and girls of the team, showing them that training and devotion, goals may be achieved. She also explains that challenge was from the time of the organization because it was not easy to manage logistics and balance own times, since it was established to reach competition by bicycle at the facilities of the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada in Cajicá.

For Duarte, this type of chances means for the UPN a possibility of building as a team, promoting these scenarios, which joined with academy are part of the process to build a better world, a goal she believes our training teachers should have.