Blog
Living the Dream: Battistella Races Atherton A.200 to European Gold
26 August 2025
Last week we were thrilled with a clean sweep for our young guns at Round 4 of the British Downhill Series in Llangollen. By contrast, we are very excited to share a European Championship win for one of our “more mature” owners – super-fast Italian rider Stefano Battistella, who took the Masters 5 (age 55-59 category) at La Molina earlier this month (Aug) on board his Atherton A.200
SB: I live in Fontaniva (PD), Italy, and I am a Master 5 rider. I stumbled upon the world of MTB and its colourful characters in 2013 after spending several years on the motorcycle circuits for the Alpe Adria and Dunlop Trophies with a stock 600.
My wife and I immediately realised that riding downhill was not something you could do, so we enrolled in the Gravity School, which taught us how to ride properly and gave us the basics we needed to have fun safely. By 2016, my competitive spirit would not be denied, and so came the first enduro races.
The first goal was to finish, the second was to be in the top 100, and the third was to be the fastest under the gazebo! I’ve been participating in the GravItalia national circuit (later renamed Downhill Italia) since 2017, winning my first Veneto regional jersey in 2020 and repeating this achievement, along with a National Championship and a Bronze medal at the World Championships in 2021.
In 2022, I won silver at the National Champs and bronze at the European Championships in Maribor.
In 2023, I started riding the A.200, taking home second place at the Open Shimano, then silver at the Masters World Championships in Argentina, silver at the European Championships in Les Menuires (France), my career bests to that date, and winning the national circuit and regional championship.
In 2024, I went to Australia for the Masters World Championships, where I brought home a silver medal, but then there were ups and downs in the national competitions, and an injury put me out of the game.
In 2025, I returned to Australia for the Masters World Championships, but a fall compromised the result. I tried again the following week at Crankworx in Cairns and brought home a bronze medal… I’d expected more and returned home with my tail between my legs. But at National Championships this year, I rediscovered my confidence and was happy with a silver medal, a good boost to my mood for the European Championships in La Molina (Spain), from where I finally brought home the gold! My next goal is the Masters World Championships in Chile next year.
Most of my on-bike training is reserved for the weekends, with my weekdays devoted to lunchtime gym sessions and our family haulage business and truck workshop. I live in the province of Padua, Italy, and the beautiful Dolomites are just two hours drive away: San Martino di Castrozza, Fai della Paganella and Val di Sole are great summer spots, while in winter, we have the enduro trails of the Euganean and Berici hills.
In 2022 I attended the World Cup in Val di Sole, I was able to have a close look at the bike in The Continental Atherton pits and was totally love when Charlie's mechanic said to me, ‘That one's too small for you, try this,” and took Charlie’s bike off the stand for me to try. At that point, there was so much emotion and so many tears! Order placed!!!
Since that time, I've been living the dream! I use the same bike as the race team. I have access to race-grade equipment that never gives me any problems, not even a screw to tighten or a glitch, unrivalled quality, impeccable warranty service! And if I had a penny for every person who asked me, ‘Is it real? Can I touch it? We would have solved world hunger!
The first thing I would tell you about the A.200 is that it instils confidence, allowing you to raise your game whatever the track you’re facing. Coming out of a turn, it seems to have an engine, on rough terrain it goes over everything then when you lower your heels you say goodbye to your companions and fly away
So, let’s talk about the European Championships. La Molina is a truly beautiful track with a first section featuring park turns and some double jumps, followed by a central section where the fun begins. The track was taped wide, offering plenty of room for interpretation, virgin terrain, endless off-camber sections and steep slopes. It wasn’t an easy section to put together, unless you happen to be riding an A.200!
The final section had some nice jumps. The weather was perfect, just a few drops of rain on the night before the seeding run. There were six of us competing for the jersey: one Frenchman, three Spaniards, including the new national champion, and two Italians. It was a new track for everyone except for the riders from Spain, who had competed in their nationals there 15 days earlier. The bike performed well from the start, with just a few adjustments to the fork for more support and the addition of some shims under the handlebars.
During practice, my confidence slowly grew, even though, given the number of competitors, there were new developments after each round. The Frenchman was the one who worried me the most, but it was the new Spanish champion who put pressure on me after qualifying just 0.3 seconds behind. I needed to find some more speed, so we worked on that on Sunday morning. When you start last, the pressure is intense, and the ghosts of the past come to visit you. At the gate, it's just you, your Atherton and the trail, and you know you have everything you need.
Stefan's Euro Champs Set-Up
FRAME
Atherton A.200 size 7
REAR SHOCK
EXT Arma with 375 hsc7 lsc5 reb 7 spring
FORK
Rockshox Boxxer Ultimate fork with customised hydraulics
2 tockens and 140psi 8 reb 4hsc 6lsc
DRIVECHAIN
SRAM X01
POST
Thompson
SADDLE
Tofino
WHEELS
Spank wheels with Sapim spokes and Trailmech hubs
TYRES
Continental Kryptotal Tyres, front 1.5 bar, rear 1.7 bar
CRANKS
SRAM X01