December 1, 2004 – When top athletes from more than 30 nations meet in Rio de Janeiro, a truly exceptional competition is going on. Over 80 amateur and pro teams will plunge into the fray on December 5 for the first ever “Red Bull Giants of Rio”.

Beach-break swimming in the Atlantic just off the Copacabana, mountain biking up to the Jesus statue and down through the jungle, speed hang gliding over Rio de Janeiro, and sand running on Ipanema beach: the athletes will focus several obstacles in one single afternoon! Among them are the olympic gold medalists from South Africa, swimmer Ryk Neethling and French mountain biker Julien Absalon as well as multiple World Champions like mountain runner Jonathan Wyatt from New Zealand and Austrian hang glider Seppi Salvenmoser.

The extreme relay event can be watched live at http://www.redbullgiantsofrio.com. The Webcast starts on December 5 at 2 pm (Rio local time).

The pulse of the event is already online: a designated Red Bull Giants of Rio Media Player provides comprehensive information, movies, pics and the virtual 3-D animation of the tracks gives a subtle hint of what the champs will face on Sunday.