From 30 July to 2 August, Monteceneri (Switzerland) will host the 2026 UEC Mountain Bike European Championships, a continental event with the Olympic Cross-Country (XCO), Short-Track Cross-Country (XCC) and Team Relay (XCR) disciplines.
350 athletes from 33 countries are registered for the continental event (Elite, Under-23 and Junior categories, Men and Women) and will compete for the European Champion jerseys at one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the international season.
In the Men’s Elite category, the main contender is Filippo Colombo from Ticino, the local favourite, who is determined to win the European title in front of his home crowd. He will face stiff competition from France’s Victor Koretzky, a multiple world champion and silver medallist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Britain’s Charlie Aldridge, last year’s European runner-up, Denmark’s Simon Andreassen, European bronze medallist in 2025, and another favourite of the Swiss crowd, Mathias Flückiger, Olympic silver medallist at Tokyo 2020.
The women’s race is also set to be a thrilling spectacle, with all eyes on the reigning European Champion, Jenny Rissveds (Sweden) and on Switzerland’s Alessandra Keller, the 2025 Short Track World Champion who will be racing in front of her home crowd. The strong Swiss team will also be able to count on Sina Frei, an Olympic silver medallist at Tokyo 2020, and Nicole Koller, reigning national Cross Country champion.
The youth categories are also of great interest. In the Under-23s, Italy’s Valentina Corvi, the reigning European champion, is one of the sport’s most promising talents.
The programme will begin on Thursday 30 July with the Cross Country Short Track (XCC) races, followed by the Team Relay on Friday 31 July, whilst the Cross Country Olympic (XCO) titles for the Juniors, Under-23s and Elite categories will be decided on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August.
Enrico Della Casa, President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme: “We are delighted to return to Monteceneri following the splendid 2020 event. Switzerland is a cradle of European and global Mountain Biking, a nation that has written important chapters in the history of the sport and continues to produce top-class athletes. Ticino, with its landscapes, its trails and its strong off-road culture, is the ideal setting to host European Championships of this calibre.
Mountain Biking occupies a central place in the UEC calendar and continues to grow every year, both in terms of technical standards and in terms of participation and public interest. I am sure we will witness four days of sport of the very highest standard, with Europe’s best athletes ready to provide us with thrills and a spectacular show.
I would like to thank the Organising Committee, led by its President Rocco Cattaneo and the Event Director Claudio Casati, Swiss Cycling and its President Luana Bergamin, the local authorities and the many volunteers who work with passion, skill and dedication to make this event possible."
