According to the organizers, the four-day event attracted over 92,000 visitors, surpassing previous records. This included approximately 5,400 international attendees from over 58 countries, indicating a growing global interest in the Colombian motorcycle market and the F2R event.

The Secretaría Distrital de Desarrollo Económico de Medellín estimated that the F2R 2025 generated an economic impact of $33.9 million USD for the city. This benefited various sectors, including hospitality, gastronomy, transportation, commerce, entertainment, and tourism services. Official figures reported an 82% hotel occupancy rate during the event.

The trade show floor hosted 535 exhibitors, including 104 international participants and 300 representatives from delegations from China and India. Over 2,000 brands were showcased, providing a comprehensive overview of the motorcycle and light mobility industry. Commercial activity was notable, with over 1,600 motorcycles sold during the fair. The business roundtables facilitated over 150 meetings between entrepreneurs, further establishing the F2R as a key networking hub for industry development.

Innovation was a central theme at F2R 2025, with the “Ruta de la Innovación” featuring more than 61 new vehicle launches. Fourteen national and international assemblers and dealers presented their latest models and technologies in dedicated spaces across the venue, including the Gran Salón de Convenciones, Pabellón Blanco, Pabellón Verde, and the new Pabellón Naranja.

The event also emphasized knowledge exchange and training, with 23 academic events attracting over 1,930 registered participants. New additions to the program included the 1st Panel on Sustainable and Light Mobility, the 1st Road Safety Seminar, and the 1st Business Leaders Meeting. These sessions, alongside ongoing talks, forums, and workshops, covered topics such as electric mobility, mechanics, sustainability, traffic laws, and the inclusion of women in motorcycling.

Local entrepreneurship was supported through a partnership with the Alcaldía de Medellín. Thirteen local ventures showcased innovative products in accessories, specialized clothing, and technological solutions for the two-wheeled sector, including developments for individuals with reduced mobility. Noteworthy participants included Matt Movilidad, presenting devices for improved mobility; Orbit Wear, featuring motorsport-inspired apparel; and ImpercapImpermeables, manufacturing garments from recycled plastic.

Sports events on two wheels were a major attraction, drawing over 23,000 spectators. The Copa Stunt F2R Nitrox, sponsored by Nitrox, featured competitions in open, high-cylinder, 2-stroke, and 4-stroke categories. Other sporting highlights included the Festival Stunt F2R Nitrox, BMX and BikeTrial acrobatics, and GYMKHANA AKT competitions featuring AKT Motos.

Winners in the Copa Stunt F2R Nitrox Open category were Luis Bernal (1st), Juan Manuel Zambrano “Juancho Stunt” (2nd), and James Alejandro Pieñeros “James Stunter” (3rd). In the high-cylinder category, Pablo Zapata “Vocha” took first place, followed by Julián Arias (2nd) and Marco Ramírez “Marco Stunt” (3rd). The 2-Stroke category saw Neider Messino “Neider Stunt” in first, Cristian Zuluaga “Virni” in second, and Jhon Mario Ortiz “Jhonma_Baylay” in third. Finally, in the 4-Stroke category, Juan David Zuluaga claimed the top spot, with Jhonny Zapata “Jhonny Stunt” second and José Edison Hernández “Goku Stunt” third.

The final round of the Copa Stunt highlighted the skills of the top nine riders, with Neider Messino, Cristian Gil Zuluaga, and Jhonny Zapata securing the top three positions. James Mejía won the Gymkhana AKT competition, followed by “Baby Stunt” and Gaviria.

The test drive track remained a popular feature, with over 1,850 tests conducted on gasoline-powered vehicles and more than 563 tests on electric and sustainable mobility options. This allowed attendees to experience the performance and technology of various models firsthand.

The inaugural day of F2R 2025 commenced at Parques del Río with a welcoming ceremony for over 500 national and international exhibitors, media representatives, and motorcycle enthusiasts. Guillermo Pajón, director and creator of the fair, emphasized the event’s significance in the business, academic, and cultural spheres of the global two-wheeled industry.

Academic sessions on the first day included a conference by Dr. Carlos Hernán González Parias from Tecnológico de Antioquia – ITM on the geopolitical implications of a potential new trade war for the automotive sector, highlighting Colombia’s reliance on imported auto parts, particularly from China. Another conference by Dr. Francia Inés Hernández Díaz from Forvis Mazars focused on optimization opportunities in customs tariffs, duties, and logistics related to sourcing and investment processes in Colombia and Latin America, with a particular focus on Asian markets.

Looking ahead, the organizers of the Feria de las 2 Ruedas have announced the dates for the next edition, which will take place from May 21 to 24, 2026. Additionally, they have invited industry stakeholders and enthusiasts to Expo2R in Bogotá at Corferias from October 23 to 26, 2025, and to the Autoshow, scheduled for August 29 to 31, 2025, which will focus on sustainable mobility and the automotive industry. These events underscore the sector’s commitment to economic growth and the promotion of new transportation modes in Colombia and the Americas.

Throughout the event, various industry voices shared their perspectives. Adriana Sanjuan, manager of Repsol lubricants for Colombia (BME: REP, OTCQX: REPYY), highlighted the value of direct consumer engagement and product showcasing at the fair. Angelo Acosta, a journalist from Moto.it in Italy, noted the passion and the strong need for mobility observed during the event, suggesting significant growth potential for F2R.

The Simposio de Clubes Moteros featured prominent figures, including former professional racer Álex Barros, who shared his career journey, and Silvio Frasson from Repsol, who discussed the importance of preventive maintenance and safety gear. Journalist Martín Urruty from MotoGP encouraged attendees to pursue their passion and seek new opportunities.

The final day of the fair included autograph sessions with Agustín Ostos (Soy Tribu), riders from Team Yamaha (TYO: 7272), and Tomás Puerta (Tomás Puerta). The day also featured the finals of the Copa Stunt F2R Nitrox, the Gymkhana AKT, the Festival Stunt F2R Nitrox, a show by Stunt Bike Factory, miniriders competitions, Biketrial, and BMX events. The Monster Energy (NASDAQ: MNST) Rock Fest F2R provided the closing entertainment for the event.

Photo credit: Feria de las 2 Ruedas.

Juan Pablo Lopez is the director of Parques del Rio for the city of Medellín

The City of Medellín is undertaking a massive project that will see two major urban arteries submerged underground, surfaced by a city park. The plan includes re-naturalizing the currently channelized river, and remodeling the city’s feeder creek system to take them back to a more pristine, natural state, adding parks, trees and bicycle paths along the way.

Finance Colombia was able to meet with Juan Pablo Lopez, the director of Parques del Rio [Parks of the River] for the city of Medellín to learn more about this ambitious public works project, and the impact it is expected to have on the Capital of Colombia’s Antioquia department.

Finance Colombia: So tell me about the genesis of the project.

Lopez: For some years now a master plan in terms of urban renovation has been gestating but there has never been a public space trigger that can take that to reality for us. Then the Parques del Rio project comes up, and launching it is something the current mayor, Anibal Gaviria Correa, building upon the work laid down by past administrations, has been able to realize. What will the Parques del Rio consist of? In those strips along the river which are a highway, in some sectors we submerge the highway, that is to say, we take it underground, right? We build some tunnels underneath and then we immediately generate a very interesting public space on the surface. A person who is standing here right now can take a footpath, cross that footbridge to the river and in the river we’re not going to find the highways which are a barrier anymore, but the footpath will continue to a whole park there. And we’re going to cross to the other side that is residential—a person, a pedestrian or a cyclist will be able to take that route without any problems.

We’re going to improve mobility for motorists while at the same time generating a very interesting public space.

That brings benefits in terms of lateral connectivity, but also a longitudinal connectivity so people can move along the valley because we’re going to widen the lanes that exist today. And additionally, when we recover public spaces in some specific zone we then make the urban renovation of some sectors that hadn’t been consolidated as urban renovation more attractive; then, one example could be that the sector next to the (San Juan Avenue) bridge. Those are old industries or workshops that now will have a park in front of them; they become a high target for renovation with housing, with offices, with shops, with multiple uses—

Finance Colombia: A mixed use redevelopment.

Lopez: Exactly, then it´s like new housing but with a very interesting mix.

Finance Colombia: And like that, when it´s mixed use, the lifestyle is like “I can walk to the shop, I can walk to work, I can walk to the store,” it´s not like you need a car for basic existence.

Lopez: Exactly, a reality in Medellín is that the people that work in the city, the ones that work in the houses, the garbage disposal crew, laborers they live in the farthest away communities from the center of Medellín—

Finance Colombia: Exactly, in San Javier or Santo Domingo—

Lopez: Or Castilla, and then they are the ones to spend more (time and money) on commuting. This is where the city´s mobility problems are, and then the city has to fix that error of having grown towards the hillsides. That has turned out to be very expensive because when you grow towards the hillsides then you have to bring infrastructure, you have to bring public transportation, you have to bring all of that up to the hillsides.

While if you concentrate the growth along the valley, around where the metro goes, where all the public services are, where the civic center of the city is, then the city becomes much more sustainable. That´s what the project is about. Over there where you see those big machines working, we are going to bury, more or less, 392 meters of the highways. Then we are going to have a park almost as big as four soccer fields lengthwise. We are going to immediately recover 50,000 square meters and we are also going to duplicate the lanes that exist there today, we’re going to improve mobility for motorists while at the same time generating a very interesting public space.

By the numbers: Medellín’s Parque del Rio

• 44 neighborhoods in 9 districts will be impacted by the Parques del Rio project
• 19.8 kilometers: the length of the project along the Medellín River
• 212,000 vehicles use the motorways bordering the Medellin River daily
• .92 kilometers of 7 lanes will be subterranean
• $170,438,000 USD is the cost of the project’s primary phase
• 6,105 new trees will be planted as part of the project
• 808 acres (327 hectares) of riparian land will be renovated, from Ancón Sur to Bello

Finance Colombia: Then, that is going to be more or less like a central park for everything but it´s not going to impede the traffic, because the traffic will be able to go through underground; and it will also have wider lanes, because that is an area that has also had a lot of traffic jams.

Lopez: Right now there are four lanes, and you’re going  to have seven lanes, plus merge and exit lanes that will allow—one of the problems that we have isn’t even the flow of traffic across the river but exiting at each one of the bridges. Then, what we’re going to do with those merge lanes is to give traffic a more dynamic flow, that doesn’t have any problems.

Finance Colombia: Medellín has an exemplary subway, but during the construction process there were a lot of problems, so how are those going to be avoided with this project?

Lopez: At the moment, we have some people directly impacted, from the Conquistadores neighborhood. With those impacted we’re making a plan, creating a citizen’s committee, for that committee to take ownership of the park. They are the ones directly impacted right now but they are going to be the main beneficiaries when it’s built. It’s a citizen committee that takes ownership of the park and that writes something like a coexistence manual, for example, something that happened in the Brooklyn Park (New York City), the one that´s on the East River. I think it´s the community that drives the construction, to turn all of the ancient warehouses—in that case, to be turned into a linear park along the East River. That is what we’re doing right now in some workshops with the Conquistadores community.

Finance Colombia: Now that the traffic is diverted, how long will the detours last? How long will the traffic flow be disrupted?

Lopez: 11 months since it began, and it began in February. We’re thinking that by January of next year we can be inaugurating the first stage.

Finance Colombia: Well here in front of us we have EPM. EPM also has a role in the process, don’t they?

Lopez: The new company that is gestating, EPM is the partner with Medellín in that company, which is going to operate, maintain, and is also going to generate those revenues that the Parques del Rio can generate.

If you concentrate the growth along the valley, around where the metro goes, where all the public services are, where the civic center of the city is, then the city becomes much more sustainable. That´s what the project is about.

Finance Colombia: Talking about the river specifically, one thing that here in Medellín and also in Bogotá—well in Cali too, the rivers in cities are channeled in concrete, and I understand that part of the project is to change the river back to its natural state, with stones and crawdads and fish and all that. Why did they put the rivers like that originally? And what is the plan—what does the plan for the river include, and specifically the river’s natural environment?

Lopez: Since the 1950s more or less, there was a worldwide tendency to channelize the rivers that came into being, and that began for heath and sanitation issues mostly. And then the rivers ended up becoming the collectors of all of the city’s dirty waters, then they became harmful to people’s health. I think it was a mistake to have channelized them long ago, and to try to take the channelization away is very complicated, very complex; most of all because the rivers have a flooding behavior. What Parques del Rio is doing is that those cement channels will be enhanced with landscaping and plantings that can provide more interesting ecological benefits. We can plant species that withstand floods and that attract new wildlife, but additionally we have to work with the feeder creeks too, right? Because the creeks are the ones that end up feeding the river, so the Parques del Rio project is also taking place in the creeks, improving their surroundings, and lastly up to the part of the river that isn’t channelized, which is up north. The goal is to protect the watershed such that that no creeks or the river are channelized anymore.

Finance Colombia: Is there a treatment plan for the quality of water or anything like that?

Lopez: That is done through public companies of Medellín, EPM. They have invested about $1.047 billion dollars in a water treatment plant up north that begins to operate next year, and the whole water collection system of sewage, with all the piping, and then those pipes to collect the sewage, they take it to the treatment plants and it is discharged into the river only after it is treated, not how it’s being done right now, where the sewage is poured directly into the river.

Finance Colombia: And the Jardin Cincunvalar (Surrounding Garden) is part of this integrated project; it’s all part of a big plan, isn’t it?

Lopez: Yes, all of that is part of the big plan for the city in terms of sustainability and urban planning. With Parques del Rio, we attract people to here to the center, but with the Green Belt and the linear parks along the feeder creeks, we get all that ecological connectivity the city needs. It is a whole network that is woven with the river, the creeks upward, and the Jardin Circunvalar, or the Green Belt, protecting all of this.

Finance Colombia: And what is the whole term of the plan? Is it a five or ten year plan in total?

Lopez: The idea is that it is ten years of construction and then 25 years of operation planning. With this whole plan, the city is looking to raise the key metric of square meters of public space per inhabitant. At the moment we have just 3.9 square meters per inhabitant, the idea is to take that to 7.5.

Statistics taken from Medellin’s municipal government publication: “Ciudad para la Vida” ^No.12, January 2015

Artist renderings courtesy of the municipal government of Medellín