MTB European Championship – XCO Melgaço 2025
Day 1
Four of the five Portuguese riders who competed on Day 1 of the XCC qualifiers at the European Mountain Bike Championships secured their place in Thursday’s finals.
Roberto Ferreira was the only one to compete in the elite qualifiers, successfully achieving his goal of reaching the final. After becoming national champion, he finished his heat in 14th place, maintaining a consistent performance.
In the junior category, Portugal had four participants. João Vigário finished 17th in the first heat, securing a place in the final. In the second heat, Tomás Pais (18th) and Daniel Silva (20th) also qualified, while Vasco Silva finished 24th. Coach Pedro Vigário highlighted the strong performance, despite the juniors’ inexperience.
> XCC – Junior Men’s Qualification Results
> XCC – Men’s Elite Qualification Results
Day 2
The second day of the European Mountain Bike Championships, dedicated to XCC (short cross-country) events, was marked by challenges for the Portuguese athletes, but also by promising performances and highly competitive races.
In the junior men’s race, Daniel Silva was forced to retire after a breakdown at the start. João Vigário, who had been in the top ten, fell after being touched by an opponent and finished in 36th place. Tomás Pais maintained a steady pace and was the best Portuguese, finishing in 33rd, 36 seconds behind the European champion, Austrian Anatol Friedl.
In the elite women’s race, Ana Santos finished 23rd, 1:37 behind the winner, Swedish Olympic champion and now European champion Jenny Risseveds. The Portuguese rider, still recovering from an injury, showed positive signs of improvement. Among the men, Roberto Ferreira finished 28th in a race dominated by the Swiss, with Luca Schätti taking a clear victory.
In the junior women’s race, with no Portuguese representatives, Slovenia’s Maruša Tereza Šerkezi retained her title with a dominant performance. Czech Barbora Bukovská and Sweden’s Elinore Nilsson completed the podium.
> XCC – Junior Men’s Final Results
> XCC – Elite + U23 Women’s Final Results
> XCC – Elite + U23 Men’s Final Results
Day 3
The third day of the European MTB Championships was dedicated to the thrilling mixed team relay (XCR – Team Relay) event. The Portuguese National Team finished 10th, in a strategic discipline where each cyclist from a country completes a lap, and the order of participation can significantly influence the standings.
Portugal started the race with Ricardo Marinheiro (men’s elite), followed by Beatriz Guerra (under-23), Daniel Franco and Margarida Vasconcelos (juniors), João Fonseca (under-23), and Ana Santos (women’s elite). The team’s performance was consistent, almost always in 10th place, except for the third lap, where they reached 9th.
A mechanical problem on the first lap affected Ricardo Marinheiro’s start, which affected the team’s pace and confidence. Even so, the final result was within expectations.
The victory went to Italy, who led with authority. Switzerland, thanks to a powerful final lap from Nino Schurter, secured silver, while Germany rounded out the podium with bronze.
Another day of great competitive spirit and learning for the Portuguese team!
Day 4
The fourth day of the European Mountain Bike Championships in Melgaço was entirely dedicated to the Junior (men’s and women’s) and Under-23 Men’s XCO finals, contested in high temperatures and with high-level pelotons.
The Portuguese athletes demonstrated determination and team spirit, and gained valuable international experience in extremely demanding races.
In the Junior Men’s race, Tomás Pais was the best Portuguese rider, finishing in 32nd place (1:09:55). He was followed by João Vigário (35th), Daniel Franco (48th), and Hugo Ramalho (54th). Three athletes did not finish the race, but the entire team finished without crashes or injuries.
The European title was decided by a second-place finish, with Anatol Friedl (Austria) winning, followed by Federico Brafa (Italy) and Lewin Iten (Switzerland).
In the Junior Women’s race, Margarida Vasconcelos completed four laps and finished 33rd, while Maria Coimbra finished 35th, having completed three laps. Both demonstrated a competitive spirit and progress in a demanding international context.
The victory went to Switzerland’s Anja Grossmann, with Slovenia’s Maruša Šerkezi and Czech Barbora Bukovská completing the podium.
To close the day, the men’s U-23 category got into action. João Cruz was the best Portuguese (26th), followed by Rafael Sousa (36th) and João Fonseca (40th).
The race was won by France’s Adrien Boichis, with Denmark’s Philipsen and Switzerland’s Treudler completing the podium, separated by just 11 seconds from the winner.
Day 5
The fifth and final day of the European Mountain Bike Championships in Melgaço was marked by a vibrant atmosphere and a large turnout of spectators, who filled the finish line to enthusiastically support the athletes, especially the Portuguese, in the XCO races for the U23 Women’s and Elite Men’s and Women’s categories.
Amid high temperatures and a technical and demanding course, Raquel Queirós stood out among the best on the continent, achieving an excellent 18th place in the elite women’s race, securing a place among the top 20 in Europe.
Ana Santos, still recovering from a serious injury, showed grit by remaining in the top 20 for several laps, finishing in 22nd place after failing to complete the final lap.
In the race, Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds dominated, once again demonstrating her class, comfortably winning and adding the XCO title to the XCC title she had won days earlier. Evie Richards (United Kingdom) finished second, with Nicole Koller (Switzerland) in third.
In the women’s U23 race, Beatriz Guerra also performed well, completing a solid performance with a 20th-place finish in a race won by Italian Valentina Corvi, followed by Anina Hutter (Switzerland) and Sina Van Thiel (Germany).
To conclude the European Championships, the elite men’s race took place, with four Portuguese riders on the track. The Portuguese national champion Roberto Ferreira was the best of the Portuguese team, finishing in 27th place after completing eight laps. Ricardo Marinheiro, Bruno Nunes, and João Rocha finished the race in 34th, 36th, and 39th places, respectively.
The race was intense and highly competitive. Britain’s Tom Pidcock shone, winning with authority after a strong start and a confident performance. Charlie Aldridge, also from the United Kingdom, finished second, and Denmark’s Simon Andreassen rounded out the podium, overcoming Switzerland’s Colombo in a thrilling final sprint.
After five days of intense excitement, Melgaço bid farewell to the European Mountain Bike Championships with an unforgettable journey, marked by the quality of the athletes, the warmth of the crowd, and the pride in the performance of the Portuguese National Team.