2028 UEC European Road Cycling Championships: Race awarded to North Brabant

This coming weekend, the European Cycling Championships will take place in Ljubljana and Šenčur in Slovenia. Details have now also been announced for the 2028 edition. The province of North Brabant, together with the towns of Bergen op Zoom, Breda, Roosendaal and Tilburg, will host the 2028 European Road Cycling Championships. The Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU) and the organiser Golazo are staging the championships as a central part of the Dutch Cycling Festival 2028. The event marks the 100th anniversary of the KNWU and aims to put cycling in the spotlight, both as a competitive sport and as a means of everyday transport.

Route through North Brabant

The individual time trials will start in Bergen op Zoom and finish in Roosendaal. The road races will start in Tilburg and finish in Breda. The exact route and the detailed programme will be announced at a later date. Over the coming months, the partners involved will be working on the further organisation of the championship.

Field of participants and international significance

The European Road Cycling Championships have become one of the most important events on the international racing calendar. Around 900 athletes from some 45 of the 51 member federations of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme are expected in North Brabant. Alongside the men’s and women’s elite races, young riders will also be competing in the U23 and junior categories. UEC President Enrico Della Casa emphasises the importance of the Netherlands to European cycling. He says the country is a leading nation in cycling, where the bicycle is firmly embedded in its culture and everyday life.

​Dutch Cycling Federation plans a year-round festival to mark its 100th anniversary

The Royal Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU) will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2028. To mark the anniversary – the federation was founded on 26 January 1928 – the KNWU has launched the so-called Dutch Cycling Festival.

Under the slogan “Let’s celebrate cycling”, the whole of 2028 is to be dedicated to cycling. The festival is not intended to be a one-off event, but rather a year-round programme designed to make the Netherlands the centre of the cycling world in the Olympic year of 2028. Thematically, the festival encompasses cycling as a competitive sport, as a sustainable mode of transport and as a driver of social change. The Dutch Cycling Festival 2028 will provide the backdrop for the European Championships. Andreas Roodbeen, CEO of the KNWU, explains that the Championships will give the celebrations a tangible form. Seeing the best European riders race through Brabant will be an experience for all cycling enthusiasts. The association aims to harness the energy of the championships to encourage more people to cycle, with a particular focus on the next generation.

Social objectives for North Brabant

The organisers have set goals for the championships that go beyond competitive sport. Bas Maes, Head of the Sports Department for the Province of North Brabant, sees the event as an opportunity to combine top-level sport with health promotion and talent development. Brabant has a strong cycling tradition. The championship is intended not only to bring world-class sport to the region, but also to encourage more people to cycle more often. Along the route, in cycling clubs and in schools, the sport is intended to bring people together and promote social interaction.