Saturday was marked by official training sessions and the qualifying round on the Comella DH track, which determined the starting order for Sunday's grand final. The favourites came out on top in the Elite category: Austria's Andreas Kolb and Switzerland's Lisa Baumann. Spain's Castellanos achieved a very promising result ahead of Sunday's final, finishing in 2nd place, just 4 hundredths of a second behind Kolb.
There was a great atmosphere in the finish area with food trucks, a pump track, a village and an afternoon of activities open to the public with live music and a tribute to the most veteran Catalan riders.
The second day of the European Downhill Championships saw one of its key moments today: the qualifying round, which determined the starting order for Sunday's grand final. The official training sessions in the morning were intense, with excellent weather conditions, and served to fine-tune the bikes, recognise lines and study every detail of the technical and spectacular Comella DH course.
From the very beginning, the pace was relentless. Between 8:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m., the 420 participants, divided into three groups, took turns descending the 2.3 km course with a 411-metre elevation drop, putting their skills and physical preparation to the test.
At 1:45 p.m., with growing excitement in the finish area, the qualifying round took place, in which all the riders fought to set the best time and secure a good starting position for Sunday's final (reverse start: the fastest on Saturday will be the last to start in Sunday's European grand final).
The fastest riders in Comella DH
In the Elite Men's category, the best time was 2:59.57 for the reigning European Champion, Andreas Kolb, who arrived at the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya station as the clear favourite. Second place went to the outstanding Dani Castellanos, from the RFEC team, who clocked a time of 2:59.61, closely followed by Germany's Max Harstenstern with 2:59.92.
In the Elite Women's category, the reigning European champion, Switzerland's Lisa Baumann, lived up to expectations and was the fastest rider with a time of 3:26.87, demonstrating great technique on the most demanding sections of the course. She was joined on the qualifying podium by Italy's Gloria Scarsi with 3:27.16 and Slovenia's Monika Hrastnik with 3:30.73, all of whom have serious chances of winning the continental title, which will be contested on Sunday 3 August in La Molina. The best Spanish rider was Cristina Menéndez, who finished eighth in the Elite category (3:37.69).
Among the main favourites for the European title, the current champion, Andreas Kolb (Austria), gave a very positive assessment of the condition of the circuit after completing his first runs, saying, ‘I took first place with a demanding but very enjoyable run.’ According to the Austrian rider, Friday's light rain "helped reduce the dust, but the track is still dry and the ground absorbed it quickly. Even so, the track has settled and become demanding, so it's been very good." Kolb also pointed out that she was very clear about how to tackle the course, as ‘we had a good training session to pick up speed and see how far we could go.’
For her part, Lisa Baumann (Switzerland) acknowledged the demanding nature of the course, although she highlighted her adaptation, saying that ‘with each run I felt better.’ The rider pointed out that the rain was not a determining factor, as ‘we started quite late and the track was already completely dry.’ Baumann also pointed out an added difficulty because ‘although I had all the lines clear in my head, the sun in the forest this morning made visibility very difficult, which made it hard to read the terrain properly.’
The recent Spanish Champion, Daniel Castellanos, who won the title on this same circuit two weeks ago, approached Saturday's race with confidence and determination. With a calm attitude and second place in the qualifying round under his belt, Castellanos said, "Everything went very well today. Tomorrow is when it really counts, but I know I'm up to it. I don't know how it will go, but we're going in with a lot of enthusiasm and motivation. We know where to push and where to hold back, so we'll give it our all."
The Madrid native confirmed that ‘having competed here in the Nationals gives me an advantage. I know the circuit and the lines well, and that allows me to push myself and compare myself with the best.’
Party and atmosphere for all audiences
Beyond the competition, La Molina has come alive with an active village throughout the day (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.), food trucks offering a variety of culinary options, a children's pump track, haimas for resting, and activities for all audiences.
In the afternoon, the activity continued unabated. At 5:00 p.m., an emotional tribute was paid to the Catalan Downhill riders, recognising their key role in the promotion and growth of this discipline. This was followed by a concert by the group ‘El Kiwi’, which thrilled the audience, who ended the day dancing to the DJ Uri Moner session (6:30 p.m.), all under the umbrella of Estrella Damm.
With a large crowd expected on Sunday, excitement is building for the grand final, which will decide the new 2025 European Downhill Champions. The technical and spectacular circuit promises a day of high-octane sporting action.
The Spanish Government and the Catalan Government are leading the institutional support for this championship. The Higher Sports Council (CSD), an agency under the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport; the Department of Sport and FGC agree that hosting the European Championships will reinforce the position of Spain and Catalonia as ideal locations for mountain biking and as a leading destination for cycling and mountain sports.
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