Home rider Francisco Pardal will defend the downhill title he won at last year’s European Mountain Bike Cycling Championships as the 2019 competition gets underway tomorrow in Pampilhosa da Serra in Portugal ©UEC

Home rider Francisco Pardal is set to defend the downhill title he won at last year’s European Mountain Bike Cycling Championships as the 2019 competition gets underway tomorrow in Pampilhosa da Serra in Portugal.

But Pardal, whose 2018 gold medal was also won on home territory at Lousa, will have a battle as the field in this European Cycling Union (UEC) event also includes last year’s men’s silver medallist, Benoit Coulanges of France.

The women’s field includes two bikers from the current world top 10.

A field of 200 riders from 14 countries will take part in the UEC European Mountain Bike Cycling Championships downhill racing that starts tomorrow at Pampilhosa da Serra in Portugal ©UEC
A field of 200 riders from 14 countries will take part in the UEC European Mountain Bike Cycling Championships downhill racing that starts tomorrow at Pampilhosa da Serra in Portugal ©UEC

Defending champion Monika Hrastnik of Slovenia is currently fourth in the International Cycling Union world rankings, four places ahead of Italy’s Veronika Widmann, who finished fifth at last year’s European Championships. 

The Championships have attracted around 200 riders from 14 countries - Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, France, Britain, The Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland and the Portuguese hosts.

Seeding rounds are due be held tomorrow for the men’s and women’s elite, as well as masters riders, before the final on Sunday (May 5).