Paraguay will once again be at the heart of continental cycling with the 2026 Pan American Mountain Bike Championships, to be held from April 15-19 at the Aguavista circuit in San Juan del Paraná.
The event will bring together the best riders in the Americas for five days of intense competition. All the excitement of international cycling will once again be experienced in the south of the country with the Pan American Mountain Bike Championships.
The competition will feature delegations from 16 countries and is expected to draw approximately 1,500 people, including competitors, teams, family members, and fans, which anticipates a significant boost to the sporting and tourism sectors in that region of the country.
The activity will begin a few days earlier, on April 11th and 12th, with the Aguavista XCO UCI Class 1 Cup, which will serve as an official preparatory event, both for the riders to familiarize themselves with the course and for the organizers to fine-tune and refine details before the main event.
The Aguavista circuit will once again be the star attraction. Located on the banks of the Paraná River and just minutes from Encarnación, the venue is once again gaining international prominence, as it did during the 2022 South American Games and last year’s Junior Pan American Games.
Furthermore, its potential for constant evolution makes it an attractive circuit for practicing this sport at a continental level. This capacity for transformation keeps it aligned with international Olympic cross-country standards.
For this edition, the course features innovations that raise its technical level, with new sections through the woods, stream crossings, natural rock gardens, and a double-track bridge that adds complexity to the course.
All new features that will require competitors to take every possible precaution to conquer the course. In total, there will be more than five kilometers of technical terrain that the competitors will have to navigate.
Athlete registration will be available through the official event system. Competitors must have a valid 2026 UCI license and the corresponding authorization from their national federation.
Located just minutes from Encarnación, Aguavista is establishing itself as one of the main mountain bike venues in South America. With top-level organization, the 2026 Pan American MTB Championships in Paraguay aim to become a highlight of the continental calendar and an international showcase for the sporting and touristic essence of Itapúa.
Beyond the sporting aspect, the Pan American Championships help Paraguay once again present itself to the continent as an ideal destination for events of this kind. The event will attract leading figures in the Americas in this discipline and will also boost sports tourism, which has already demonstrated its ability to strengthen the regional economy.
Source: https://www.latribuna.com.py/