From October 2 to 7, Slovenia will host the UEC 2026 European Road Championships, one of the flagship events on the international cycling calendar.

900 athletes are registered, representing 43 nations, who will compete over five days of racing for the award of European titles in road races and individual time trials in the Junior, Under 23 and Elite categories, men and women, as well as mixed team time trials for Junior and Elite.

The Championships will take place between Ljubljana and Šenčur and will see some of the most important names in European cycling at the start, alongside the continent's best young talents and in some respects will be a rematch of the recent World Championships in Montreal (Canada).

In the Men's Elite road race, the search is on for a successor to Tadej Pogačar, winner of the European title in 2025. The home selection, Slovenia, includes among others Primož Roglič and Matej Mohorič. Belgium fields Remco Evenepoel and Quinten Hermans, while Denmark can count on Mads Pedersen. France presents itself with Romain Grégoire, Mathys Rondel and Kévin Vauquelin, while for Italy there will be Giulio Ciccone, Giulio Pellizzari, to which is added the experience of Diego Ulissi. Among other notable names are Wout Poels for the Netherlands, Juan Ayuso for Spain and Marc Hirschi for Switzerland.

The Men's Elite individual time trial also features a high-level lineup. Denmark fields Mikkel Bjerg and Kasper Asgreen, France the experienced Bruno Armirail and Rémi Cavagna, Germany Lennard Kämna, Great Britain Ethan Hayter and Italy Mattia Cattaneo. Also announced at the start are Michał Kwiatkowski for Poland, while Slovenia can count on Primož Roglič and Jan Tratnik. For Sweden there will be Jakob Söderqvist.

Among the Women's Elite, defending European champion Demi Vollering is entered in both the road race and the individual time trial, leading a Dutch selection that boasts an extraordinary record: nine victories in the ten editions of the European Road Championships held to date. With her will also be Puck Pieterse and Lorena Wiebes, European road champion in 2023. Italy can count on Elisa Longo Borghini, while Polish Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Swiss Marlen Reusser, French Cédrine Kerbaol and German Franziska Koch will compete in both the road race and the time trial. For Denmark, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig will be present, completing a lineup of absolute international level.

Enrico Della Casa, President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme: "The UEC European Road Championships represent one of the flagship events on the continental calendar and this year they are coming to Slovenia, a country that is experiencing a true golden age of cycling. The extraordinary results achieved by Slovenian athletes in recent years, combined with a movement in constant growth in other disciplines as well, confirm the solidity and vision of a system capable of valuing both established champions and emerging young talents. We are expecting days of great cycling, set in a high-level organizational context. Worldwide television coverage will guarantee great visibility for the event, while also offering a prestigious showcase to Ljubljana, Šenčur and their territories, which will have the opportunity to tell their story to the European and world public through sport. I wish to extend sincere thanks to the Slovenian Cycling Federation for the commitment and professionalism demonstrated, to its President Andraž Vehovar, to the Organizing Committee led by the experienced Tomaž Poljanec, to the host cities of Ljubljana and Šenčur, to the Republic of Slovenia, to the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport and to all national and local authorities who have contributed with determination to the realization of this great event."

All information on the official UEC website and on that of the European championship

THE SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2
9:00 am: Women U23 Road Race - 88.4 km
1:30 pm: U23 Road Race - 141.9 km

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
9:00 am: Junior Road Race - 110.5 km
1:30 pm: Women's Elite Road Race - 130 km

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4
9:00 am: Women's Junior Road Race - 66.3 km
12:30 pm: Elite Road Race - 196.3 km

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6
11:00 am: Junior Mixed Team Time Trial - 44.3 km
3:00 pm: Elite Mixed Team Time Trial - 44.3 km

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7
9:30 am: Women's Junior Time Trial - 22.1 km
10:30 am: Junior Time Trial - 22.1 km
11:45 am: Women's Under 23 Time Trial - 22.1 km
12:35 pm: Under 23 Time Trial - 22.1 km
2:30 pm: Women's Elite Time Trial - 22.1 km
4:15 pm: Elite Time Trial - 22.1 km