EN Not only the domestic, but also the European bicross season 2025 is here! Last weekend, with the exception of last year, the first two rounds of the UEC European BMX Racing Cup were traditionally held in Verona, Italy. Almost the complete line-up of the Talent Team and the Czech Republic National Team took part in the state of the races, which were followed up by the Czech drivers of the Challenge categories in the afternoon blocks. And from our point of view it was a very successful entry into the European season and we took home a lot of final places including several wins! Evropský pohár Let's start with the Championships categories. Here we had three representatives who were promoted to senior categories this year and we call them "freshmen". Specifically, they were Oliver Miltner (Men Junior), Elen Lapková (Women Junior), Jakub Cidlinski and Jakub Klement (both Men Under 23). Above all, it was a dream start for Elen Lapková, as she fought her way to the finals on both days, where she placed eighth and seventh, respectively. The first-year boys also showed their potential and bravely fought for the best possible position. Cidlinský's Sunday quarter-final ride, where he moved on the promotion rung, is worth mentioning, from which he was subsequently forced to end the race due to a technical fault with his bike. He has his motivation taken care of for Zolder! For Klement, Saturday's race ended with a fall in which he injured his right knee. For him, it means a detailed examination and hopefully a quick return to the pedals. Miltner ended the weekend in Verona with a fall, where he fought bravely to advance to the quarterfinals and can be satisfied with his performance. Marek Neužil, competing this year in the UCI training center jersey, fought his way to the final in Saturday's race after falling in the first run, where he finished in seventh place. Junior Chudoba was also in the final that day and finished the race fifth. The fourth finalist of Saturday's race was Sabina Košárková (fourth place in category Women U23), who finished in the semifinals on Sunday. On Sunday, only the aforementioned Elen Lapková (Women Junior) defended the Czech colors in the final. It is also worth mentioning the semi-final positions achieved during the weekend by Vít Gruntorád (Saturday Men Junior), Eliška Bartuňková (both days Women Elite) and Štěpánka Fremlová (Sunday Girls 15/16). During the weekend, the Challenge category won us not only additional final positions, but also several firsts. On Saturday, Jakub Skřejpek (Cruiser 40/44), Laura Tejmarová (Girls 8), Jan Očenášek (Boys 11) and Dominik Ráliš (Boys 14) took care of them. Tomáš Souček was second in Boys 11 category, Albert Kohoutek (Boys 10) and Benjamin Fojtík (Boys 13) finished third in their respective categories. Other finalists were Kristýna Utínková (4th place Women 17+), Matyáš Karel Klapetek (5th place Boys 11), Jiří Kabriel (5th place Boys 13), Karel Dvořák (7th place Cruiser 30-39), Kryštof Dvořák (7th place Boys 10) and Lukáš Gebauer (8th place Cruiser 40-44). Sunday's race even brought us a purely Czech podium, which in the Boys 11 category was taken care of by the victorious Tadeáš Vlk, who narrowly beat Jan Očenášek at the finish line, and who was completed by Tomáš Souček in third place. Laura Tejmarová took home the victory from both days in Verona! Jakub Skřejpek (second place in category Cruiser 40/44), Sebastián Štěpánek (third place in category Boys 8) and Benjamin Fojtík (also third in category Boys 13) also stood on the podium. Other finalists were Karel Dvořák (8th place Cruiser 30-39), Pavel Smrček (5th place Cruiser 45+), Max Roškot (4th place Boys 10), Agáta Krátilová (Girls 11-12), Matyáš Karel Klapetek (5th place Boys 11), Alan Pětioký (4th place Boys 14), David Lapka (8th place Boys 14) and Kristýna Utínková (7th place Women 17+). The program for the coming weekend is Saturday's Control race of the national team and Sunday's 1st round of the Czech League.