The edition of the Mountain Bike European Championships that will start on Thursday 27 July in Darfo Boario Terme (Italy) will be truly «brilliant».
For four days, the best European bikers will compete against each other for the nine titles on offer (six in Cross-Country, two in the Eliminator and the Team Relay) in a very special context and not only in technical and sporting terms.
This event that will finish on Sunday 30 July, will welcome 383 competitors (representing 35 countries), with some of the best riders from the international scene such as the winners of three editions of the Olympic Games, the current European Champion, Julien Absalon (France) winning the double in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 and Yaroslav Kulhavy (Czech Republic) first place in London 2012.
The Cross-Country race will include the Italian, Marco Aurelio Fontana, bronze medallist at the 2012 London OG, the Swiss riders, Florian Vogel, Lukas and Mathias Flueckiger, Simon Andreassen (Denmark), winner of three World Championships in his career in the Under 23s and Titouan Carod (France). In the Eliminator, the man to beat will undoubtedly be the double World Champion and double European Champion, Daniel Federspiel (Austria).
In the Women’s events, the reigning European Champion, the Swiss, Jolanda Neff, will be defending her 2016 title won in Huskvarna (Sweden) competing against the French multiple World Champion, Pauline Ferrand Prevot, the Olympic Vice-Champion, Maja Wloszczowska (Poland), the World Cup leader Yana Belomoina (Ukraine), and the Russian, Irina Kalentieva as well as the experts, Gunn Rita Dahle (Norway) and Sabine Spitz (Germany), respectively Olympic gold medallists in 2004 and 2008.
The Team Relay will also be raced by a «UEC mixed» team with riders from various European countries that have just finished a training course organised by the Union Européenne de Cyclisme at the World Cycling Centre in Aigle.
David Lappartient, President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme: «The city of Darfo Boario Terme, very active in the cultural and sporting fields especially in cycling with great events for both young people and professionals, is the ideal setting for the Continental Championships in the Juniors and Elite categories. This edition of the Mountain European Championships has all the ingredients of a top level event thanks to a host of first class competitors who will impress and delight fans with their high level technical skills. For the first time this year, a UEC team will take part (unranked) in the Team Relay with riders who, previously, were not able to compete internationally. This team’s participation is proof of the attention we pay to this discipline but especially to the youngest riders, who will experience a very special moment in their cycling career.
I would like to thank Ezio Maffi, President of AS Boario, Enzo Mondini and Katia Bonetti, Mayor and Sporting Delegate for Darfo Boario Terme, Oliviero Valzelli, President of the Valle Camonica Mountain Community and all of the volunteers involved in the organisation of this event. I would also like to thank the Italian Cycling Federation and its President, Renato Di Rocco, for their warm welcome. »
Information on the Mountain Bike European Championships, Darfo Boario Terme (Ita) #EuroMTB17 – click here
