Oro, argento e bronzo: la Svizzera ha conquistato il quinto successo agli Europei MTB di Monteceneri monopolizzando addirittura il podio della prova femminile XCO U23.

Alle spalle della scatenata Anina Hutter, lanciatasi al comando in pratica sin dalla partenza, si sono piazzate Fiona Schibler ed Elina Benoit, già medaglia d’argento nello Short Track.

Un trionfo totale, dunque, quello elvetico, favorito in parte dalla foratura nella fase iniziale della corsa dell’italiana Valentina Corvi, accreditata di molti favori del pronostico: il suo generoso tentativo di rimonta le ha comunque permesso soltanto di superare Monique Halter e di chiudere in quarta posizione e proprio davanti alla rossocrociata.

Scarica la classifica finale

Sina Frei is undoubtedly the dominant figure at these MTB European Championships: the 29-year-old from Zurich, who already boasts an impressive list of achievements – including, notably, an Olympic silver medal at the 2021 Tokyo Games – has managed to repeat her success in the Short Track event by also winning the classic XCO race on the long Monteceneri course.

Although she benefited from a puncture suffered by the reigning world champion Jenny Rissveds – who was leading by around twenty seconds when the unexpected mechanical issue occurred – the Swiss rider still deserves credit for managing the situation brilliantly: after an extremely solid performance in terms of race management, Frei crossed the line ahead of Alessandra Keller by almost 1’30” and her Swedish rival – who had already won bronze on Thursday – by over 2’.

For Switzerland, this marked their sixth victory, made all the more satisfying by the team’s collective result – five athletes finishing in the top seven – which came on top of the hat-trick achieved that morning in the U23 category.

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Like Switzerland’s Sina Frei, Charly Aldridge was also able to repeat the victory he achieved on Thursday in the Short Track event in the Olympic Cross Country race.

The final race of the 2026 MTB European Championships – which attracted around 10,000 spectators to Monteceneri over the four days of the event – proved to be one of the most fiercely contested of the competition, with the powerful British rider managing to fend off a determined comeback attempt by Italy’s Juri Zanotti, a favourite with the home crowd due to his past association with VC Monte Tamaro.

In third place, almost perfectly mirroring the women’s race – which had replicated the exact finishing order of the Short Track – was a Swiss rider: not Dario Lillo, however, who was rather disappointing on the whole today, but Fabio Puntener, who finished ahead of his team-mate Mathias Fluckiger at the end of what can nonetheless be considered an excellent performance by the Swiss team.

The 2026 MTB European Championships thus go down in the record books with Switzerland’s six gold medals – alongside seven silvers and three bronzes – France’s three, Great Britain’s two, and those won by the Czech Republic and Germany.

The edition that concluded today was characterised by a high technical standard, contested on high-quality courses much appreciated by the athletes and, apart from the heatwave of the first few days, favoured by the weather conditions.

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For the third year running, Italy has secured a podium finish in the Team Relay at the European Mountain Bike Championships. In Monteceneri, following two consecutive continental titles, the Italian national team claimed the silver medal behind Switzerland, bringing Italy’s medal tally at the event to two following Juri Zanotti’s second place in the Elite Short Track.

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On Monte Ceneri, the Italian team kept pace with the hosts only during the first leg, before safely defending their second place. After two days, Italy have won two medals, both silver.

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The Team Relay at the European XC Championships provided a thrilling spectacle on the Monteceneri course, where Switzerland made the most of home advantage to claim the continental title ahead of Italy and Denmark. The Swiss team finished their race in 1h06’52”, 1’59” ahead of the Italians, whilst Denmark completed the podium, 4’34” behind. 

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France repeated its success in the Men’s Junior Short Track event: the first race of the penultimate day of the MTB European Championships was dominated by Mathieu Ghibaudo, who pulled clear of all his rivals from the second lap onwards on the Monteceneri long course.

Austria’s Michael Hettegger and Germany’s Elias Huckmann – already a bronze medallist in the Short Track – were thus left to battle it out for the other two places on the podium after dispatching Noa Filippi, the other French rider who had won Thursday’s race.

It was to no avail for Switzerland – who, for the first time in this edition of the European Championships, never seemed capable of competing with the formidable French riders: Marwan Barhoumi, the best of the Swiss contingent, failed to repeat his brilliant second-place finish in the Short Track, finishing in 11th place, almost 5’ behind Ghibaudo.
 

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Twenty-four hours after playing a key role in Switzerland’s victory in the relay event with an outstanding performance, Anja Grossmann secured the Swiss team’s fourth triumph at the MTB European Championships in Monteceneri on Switzerland’s National Day, and immediately following the mountain bike race in which our representatives had so far failed to win any medals.

Unanimously regarded as the most talented athlete of her generation, the young rider from Lucerne demonstrated overwhelming superiority over all her rivals, to the extent that she finished more than 3’ ahead of the runner-up, France’s Lise Revol, and almost 4’30” ahead of the Czech rider Barbara Bukovska, the bronze medallist and previous winner of the Short Track event.

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The third and final race of the day at the MTM European Championships in Monteceneri confirmed French dominance in the men’s event: Alix Andre Gallis won the long-distance race in the U23 category ahead of his compatriot Nael Ruffiac.

Third place, well behind the duo who dominated the race, went to Norway’s Sivert Elroll.

For the second time in the ten events contested so far, Switzerland has come away empty-handed: Nicola Halter, silver medallist in the Short Track, was unable to finish higher than fifth after a performance that was, to say the least, troubled. In the medal table on the eve of tomorrow’s conclusion, however, the Swiss team remains in first place with four golds to France’s three.

Germany, Great Britain and the Czech Republic have each won one gold medal.

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The 17-year-old won the junior race, securing Switzerland’s fourth title

The third day of the European Championships in Monteceneri brought another gold for Switzerland. Anja Grossmann dominated the junior race, finishing over 3’ ahead of the runner-up, France’s Lise Revol, and almost 4’30” ahead of the Czech Republic’s Barbara Buskova, claiming her second title following yesterday’s victory in the mixed cross-country relay. The victory by the 17-year-old, regarded as the most talented athlete of her generation, marks Switzerland’s fourth win at this continental championship.

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The young athlete from Lucerne dominated the individual event on the Monteceneri track, leaving all her rivals trailing far behind.

Just 24 hours after her decisive contribution to the relay that secured Switzerland’s European title, Anja Grossmann has pulled off another feat, securing the Swiss team’s fourth gold medal at the MTB European Championships in Monteceneri.

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The Frenchman dominated the men’s race, whilst the Swiss athlete secured back-to-back victories in the women’s event. Riccardo Fasoli finished twelfth, whilst Mariachiara Signorelli remained in contention for the bronze for much of the race.

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The young rider from Lucerne dominated the individual race on the Monteceneri track, leaving all her rivals trailing far behind.

Just 24 hours after her decisive contribution to the relay that secured Switzerland’s European title, Anja Grossmann pulled off another feat, securing the Swiss team’s fourth gold medal at the MTB European Championships in Monteceneri.

On Switzerland’s National Day, the young rider from Lucerne claimed first place in the individual event, immediately ending the hosts’ medal drought (which had lasted just one race).

Regarded as one of the Swiss cycling movement’s brightest prospects, Grossmann confirmed her talent by dominating the competition by an impressive margin: over three minutes ahead of France’s Lise Revol, who finished second, and almost four and a half minutes ahead of the Czech rider Barbara Bukovska, who had already won the Short Track event and taken bronze in today’s race.

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The third day of the European Championships at Monteceneri brought Switzerland another gold medal.

Anja Grossmann dominated the junior race, finishing over 3 minutes ahead of the runner-up, France’s Lise Revol, and almost 4 minutes 30 seconds ahead of the Czech Republic’s Barbara Buskova, who came third.

The victory by the 17-year-old, regarded as the most talented athlete of her generation, is Switzerland’s fourth win at this continental championship.

There were no Swiss podium finishes in the men’s events, however. In the U23 category, Nicolas Halter finished sixth, whilst in the junior category, the best-placed Swiss athlete, Marwan Barhoumi, came 11th

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Juri Zanotti conquista l'argento nello Short Track Elite e regala all'Italia l'unica medaglia della prima giornata. Sul Monte Ceneri vince Charlie Aldridge, Svizzera padrona con otto podi.

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I rossocrociati fanno incetta di medaglie, otto di cui due oro, inagurando alla perfezione i Campionati europei del Monte Ceneri. ‘Il modo più naturale per dire grazie’.

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The Swiss team, the clear favourites for the event, did not disappoint, securing their third victory at the MTB European Championships in Monteceneri with a convincing win in the relay race.

Despite fielding just one medallist among the riders at the start – Nicolas Halter, who won silver yesterday in the U23 Short Track – the Swiss six-man team dominated practically from the very first lap, gradually pulling away from Italy and Denmark, who were in fact well behind by the finish.

Following Halter, Gigax, Blochlinger, Hutter and Grossmann all performed their roles superbly, handing Vital Albin the privilege of a leisurely victory lap on his birthday!

So, for Switzerland, that’s three golds, four silvers and one bronze over two days… as we look forward to the eagerly awaited individual events on the splendid long track where today’s race took place.

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The Swiss mixed team finished almost two minutes ahead of Italy, with Denmark in third place

The Swiss delegation continues to shine at the European Championships in Monteceneri. Following yesterday’s haul of medals in the short track, the Swiss triumphed in the mixed cross-country relay, finishing ahead of Italy (+1’58”) and Denmark (+4’34”). The Swiss team, comprising Nicolas Halter (U23), Men Gygax (junior), Ronja Blöchlinger (Elite), Anina Hütter (U23), Anja Grossmann (junior) and Vital Albin (Elite), led the race from start to finish. Since the event was introduced in 2002, this is Switzerland’s eighth title, the first since 2019.

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Shana Huber clinched a splendid silver medal in the opening race of the MTB European Championships at Monteceneri: over the seven laps of the Short Track circuit, the young Swiss rider was beaten only by the Czech Barbara Bukovska, who won in a solo breakaway, finishing 5” ahead.

In third place was Hungary’s Nikoletta Kiss, 14 seconds behind.

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A second medal – another silver – for the Swiss team at the MTB European Championships in Monteceneri: following Shana Huber’s brilliant performance in the women’s event, it was Marwam Barhoumi’s turn to claim second place on the podium in the Men’s Junior Short Track.

Having led the race during the early stages of the eight-lap event, the young rider from French-speaking Switzerland was pipped to the post by France’s Noa Filippi. Germany’s Elias Huckmann finished third.

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After winning two silver medals in the Junior category that morning, Switzerland secured an extraordinary one-two finish in the women’s U23 race, with Lea Huber and Elina Benoit, who—after a fiercely contested battle with the other riders in the breakaway group that had led from the start—managed to outlast Norway’s Lisa Kristine Jorde and the Netherlands’ Bloeme Kalis, who finished just a few seconds behind.

For the spectators lining the beautiful Monteceneri course, it was truly a celebration! And the day is far from over…

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