Unlucky Day for Latvian MTB Riders at European Championships in Switzerland

On Thursday, the UEC MTB European Championships XCC cross-country eliminator races took place in Switzerland, bringing mixed results for Latvian riders.

In the junior men's race, two out of four Latvian cyclists qualified for the main event: Alvis Pivors and Valters Jonass. Pivors had the fifth fastest time in qualifying, earning a starting slot in the front blocks. He stayed in the leading group and was poised to fight for medals until a rear tire puncture on the fourth lap forced him to withdraw. Jonass, for whom making the 40-rider main field was already a significant achievement, also retired one lap earlier due to a similar technical fault. The European junior champion was Noé Philippe of France.

The U23 men's race featured 34 competitors, with Kristers Celitāns as the sole Latvian representative. He started from 28th place and initially moved close to the top 20 but later dropped back, finishing 25th, four laps behind winner Paul Schell of Germany.

All four Latvian riders are scheduled to compete in the XCO cross-country race on Saturday.