The Liv Factory Racing athlete defends her title and wins the Women's Elite Short Track XCC at the UEC Mountain Bike European Championships, in Anadia, Portugal.
Ronja Blöchlinger continues to dominate this season as she took the victory in the Women's Elite Short Track XCC at the UEC Mountain Bike European Championships, yesterday in Anadia, Portugal. Blöchlinger is currently the undefeated leader of the U23 Short Track XCC category in the UCI XC World Cup Series.
Completing the mostly flat course on her trusty Pique Advanced Pro 29 the Liv Factory Racing athlete finished with a time of 19:08 minutes, five seconds ahead of fellow Swiss athlete Noëlle Buri in second place. The European Cycling Union (UEC) held the European MTB Championships which included athletes from 51 affiliated European nations.
In a post-race interview, Blöchlinger shared insights into her strategic approach, highlighting her collaboration with Noëlle Buri to gain an advantage over their competitors. "I worked with Noëlle to attack together and get ahead, we stayed in communication before and during the race. With five laps to go, we agreed to attack, it was a bit early but it worked, we only had one rider on our wheel, and as we kept the pace she dropped off, and Noëlle and I rode most of the course together," explained Blöchlinger.
In the final lap, Blöchlinger surged ahead, maintaining a stronger pace and ultimately crossing the finish line with a five-second lead over Buri. Having successfully defended her title from the previous year, Blöchlinger now looks forward to proudly wearing the European MTB Champion jersey in 2024. "I am excited to wear the Euro Champ jersey next year as I enter my first full season in the Elite category of the World Cup Series."
Follow Ronja Blöchlinger as she competes later this week in the Elite XCO at the UEC European MTB Championships.
