2026 European Road Cycling Championships in Slovenia: A home race for Pogacar?

The European Championships in road racing and individual time trials will take place in Slovenia next year. The Union of European Cyclists (UEC) announced this on the social media platform X during the European Championships currently taking place in France. The competitions for men and women in the U19 and U23 age groups, as well as the elite category featuring professional riders, will take place between 3 and 7 October 2026. The venue will be the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana. Under the title “A new chapter lies ahead”, the UEC also announced that – unlike at World Championships – the competitions will begin with the road races, with the time trial events bringing the championships to a close. A home race could prove particularly attractive for Slovenia’s top professional cyclists, led by four-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar and Vuelta and Giro winner Primož Roglič. At the European Championships currently taking place in the French department of Ardèche, Tadej Pogacar is among the favourites in the road race. His partner, Urska Zigart, is also an internationally renowned professional cyclist. There is great enthusiasm for cycling among Slovenians, fuelled by the recent successes of their compatriots Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar.

​The European Championships have only been open to elite-level professional cyclists since 2016. Since then, the continental championships have gained considerable prestige, as the names of the title-winners show – from top star Peter Sagan at the inaugural event, through to top sprinters Alexander Kristoff, Elia Viviani, Fabio Jakobsen and, most recently, Tim Merlier. Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel have also been among the medallists in the past. In the women’s event, Anna van der Breggen, Marianne Vos, Annemiek van Vleuten and, most recently, Lorena Wiebes (all from the Netherlands) have claimed the title. However, one potential issue next year could be that the World Championships are taking place a week earlier in Montreal, Canada. Competing in both events at short notice would mean a long journey and significant jet lag. It is not yet known what the routes in Ljubljana will look like.

An overview of the provisional timetable in Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Saturday, 3 October 2026: Road race – Juniors and Elite Women
Sunday, 4 October 2026: Road race – Junior Women and Elite Men
Monday, 5 October 2026: Road race – U23 Men/Women
Tuesday, 6 October 2026: Elite and Junior team time trials
Wednesday, 7 October 2026: Individual time trials (all age groups)