It is with enthusiasm and joy that I welcome this sporting event, the most difficult and highest of trials that measure the passion and sacrifice of each contestant, to the Veneto in the summer of 2006, the summer of the mountain bike. Alpago and the glory of the mountain bike: beauty and strength, nature and sport. It will be an exceptional European Championship.

A sporting and mediaworthy occasion like the European Championships, particularly when it concerns an activity like mountainbiking, increasingly popular with both competitors and spectators, is a great event for the host territory - especially for Alpago, an area of remarkable natural beauty and potential for tourism as yet largely unexplored. Tambre, Lamosano and Chies with their steep hillsides and attractive yet challenging trails, are the ideal arena for the selection of the 2006 European 2-wheel off-road champions, but are also places of rare beauty which will benefi t enormously from the exposure to both the thousands of supporters expected in Alpago, as well as those who will follow the races on television. The Veneto, in sporting terms always a renowned capital of cyclists, boasts an immense number of devotees, famous names and champions - a tangible passion which can also be noticed along our roads on any weekend. The Alpago organisers, thanks to these European Championships, will become worthy representatives of this tradition - their enthusiasm and competence will guarantee the success that I also wish them.