Chris Dawson looked like he was on a charge today, and on course for a really strong result, until the crash Gods intervened late in his race (Photo: Samuel Santarromana)

While a select number of our pro riders have been in action in Europe and the Middle East in recent weeks, and the domestic scene is just around the corner, today it was the turn of some of our best mountain bikers to their 2026 international campaigns underway.

Senior rider Chris Dawson and U23 Greta Lawless were both in action for Dawson racing at Internacionales Chelva XCO, in UCI HC cat races. Ryan Daly was competing in the junior race – part of the Junior World Series – for Scott Alpha Theta Racing Team at the same Spanish fixture.

And former men’s senior cyclocross champion, David Montgomery (Spellman Dublin Port), was also in the elite men’s race alongside Dawson. Though Dawson was pushing for a place in the top 10, he was hit by a crash on the final lap, which wiped out his hopes of taking a result today.

Lawless, 3rd in the senior race at the National Cyclocross Championships in January, took a very tidy 6th place today. She was in the U23 women’s race, won by Fiona Schibler (Bike Team Solothurn). The Swiss champion, Schibler was one of the strongest riders in the UCI World Cup last year, winning the Austrian round in June.

Today, over five laps of the course in Chelva, Spain, Schibler led the way, after just over an hour of racing, by 1:45 from German Carla Hahn (KMC Nukeproof MTB). Norway’s Lisa Jorde (Team WO2 Max) a further right seconds back in 3rd.

While Schibler emerged the convincing winner, the gaps between the next riders home were much tighter; Lawless finishing in 6th and just 59 seconds off the podium, which was a really strong showing.

Junior Ryan Daly

In the junior men’s race, Daly has clearly long brushed off the disappointment of the cyclocross nationals – where he took silver. Today he took a fine 8th in a 100-rider race packed with junior talent from all across Europe.

A little like Lawless’s race, Daly’s junior men’s event was won convincingly, by Jari Van Lee, a Belgian riding for UCT Cycling Team. The 17-year-old – junior champion of Belgium in both cyclocross and MTB XCC – has taken a number of top 10s in UCI Cyclocross World Cups in recent months and claimed victory today by 29 seconds.

Spanish international Iker Perez-Ruiz (Jesus Rosendo CD) was 2nd and British National Team rider Arthur Limb rounded out the podium, some 47 seconds down on the winner.

Daly was 8th, at 2:12 – following a five-lap event and just under an hour of racing; the national champion, like Lawless, hitting the ground running today with a long season now ahead.

Senior men Chris Dawson, David Montgomery

For Dawson, in the senior men’s race, it was a frustrating day as he was pushing for a place in the top 10 until a crash on the final lap, of seven. That took him out of the running. Indeed, it took him out of the race as he was listed as a non finisher.

Montgomery was 40th in that senior men’s race – featuring a 65-strong international field – won by Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon XC Racing). However, the former UCI XCC World Cup overall winner had to fight all the way.

He just beat France’s Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) – former U23 world champion and multiple UCI World Cup round winner last year – with the both finishing on the same time. South Africa’s Luke Moir (Mondraker Factory Racing XC) claimed 3rd, just three seconds back.