Swiss Cycling travels to the European Mountain Bike Championships with a 24-strong team

The European Championship medals in the cross-country and short track mountain bike disciplines will be awarded in Cheile Grădiștei from May 8 to 12. Swiss Cycling has nominated 11 female and 13 male athletes for the continental showdown.

In Olympic years, the mountain bike calendar is always tight. This is one of the reasons why the European Championships in the cross-country and short track disciplines take place in the second week of May. The medal winners will be determined in the winter sports and cycling destination of Cheile Grădiștei, north-west of Bucharest; this is the first continental cycling championships to be held in Romania.

Swiss Cycling is represented by a relatively small selection - especially in the elite category. This is also due to the fact that the European Championships have not been defined as Olympic selection competitions. The ensemble is led by Filippo Colombo. The 26-year-old from Ticino is in excellent shape and is one of the podium candidates in both cross-country and short track.

The Helvetic ensemble also has excellent prospects in the U23 category. Finn Treudler has advanced to the very top of the world at the World Cup races in Brazil, while last year's World Championship bronze medallist Dario Lillo and Luke Wiedmann are also in with a chance of winning a medal. The same applies to Ginia Caluori, who was only beaten by New Zealand's Samara Maxwell in the cross-country event at the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow.