2026 European Time Trial Championships: schedule, route and favourites

The 2026 European Cycling Championship faces individual time trials this Wednesday, October 7, with a route that is somewhat unusual for the top specialists. The 22.1 kilometers around Šenčur accumulate 367 meters of elevation and feature slopes of up to 15.8%, figures that may open the competition to riders with greater climbing ability.

Marlen Reusser is the clear favorite among women and will be seeking a historic fifth continental title. The men's event is much more open due to the absences of Remco Evenepoel and Filippo Ganna, with Stefan Küng and Primož Roglič among the main candidates and Iván Romeo as one of the Spanish hopes.

A 22.1 km route for all categories

The six categories of the European Championship — junior, U23, and elite, both male and female — will compete on exactly the same 22.1-kilometer route starting and finishing in Šenčur.

• 09:30 – Junior women's ITT: 22.1 km and 367 m+
• 10:30 – Junior men's ITT: 22.1 km and 367 m+
• 11:45 – U23 women's ITT: 22.1 km and 367 m+
• 12:35 – U23 men's ITT: 22.1 km and 367 m+
• 14:30 – Elite women's ITT: 22.1 km and 367 m+
• 16:15 – Elite men's ITT: 22.1 km and 367 m+

The first kilometers are practically flat before the road begins to gain elevation and a first climb appears in Olševek. However, the decisive point will come later in Tupaliče, where a tight right turn will lead to the ascent towards Možjanca, the main difficulty of the circuit.

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It is here that the route diverges from a conventional time trial. The maximum gradient reaches 15.8% and the first intermediate point will be located at the foot of the climb, while the second will appear just before starting the descent.

After reaching the summit, the cyclists will face a narrow and undulating road towards Štefanja Vas and then a technical descent towards the lower station of the Krvavec cable car. After Cerklje na Gorenjskem, there will be about seven flat and fast kilometers to Šenčur, a final stretch where specialists can once again take advantage of their power.

2026 Women's Time Trial European Championship: Reusser, with the chance to make history

The women's event will start at 14:30 hours, with the arrival of the last participant expected around 15:39.

Marlen Reusser arrives as the undisputed reference. The Swiss rider has just defended her world time trial title in Montreal and has won four of the last five editions of the European Championship, winning in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025.

Reusser is tied with Ellen van Dijk with four European titles, and a victory in Šenčur would make her the cyclist with the most continental time trial championships.

One of her main rivals will be Franziska Koch, bronze medalist at the recent World Championship, 45 seconds behind the Swiss. Also in contention is Elisa Longo Borghini, who missed the bronze in Montreal by just five seconds and later was part of the Italian team that won the mixed relay.

The route may also play in favor of Demi Vollering. The Dutch rider has just been crowned European road champion after attacking on the second ascent to Možjanca. She finished eighth in the World Championship time trial, and although she hasn't excelled as much against the clock this season as in road races, the 367 meters of elevation increase her chances.

Among the medal contenders are also Lieke Nooijen, who lost to Reusser by just four seconds in the Tour de France time trial; Cédrine Kerbaol, fifth in the World Championship; Dominika Włodarczyk, ninth in Montreal; Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and Belgian champion Lotte Claes.

2026 Men's Time Trial European Championship: without Evenepoel or Ganna, the European Championship is wide open

The men's event will start at 16:15 hours and the arrival of the last participant is expected around 17:32. Unlike the women's category, where there is a very clear favorite, here the title is particularly open.

Remco Evenepoel will not defend his title. The Belgian, who has just won his fourth consecutive World Championship time trial and was crowned European road champion last Sunday, has decided to skip this event to focus on Il Lombardia.

Filippo Ganna will also be absent, second in 2025, which suddenly eliminates the top two finishers from the last edition and significantly opens the fight for medals.

One of the main candidates is Stefan Küng. The Swiss rider knows what it means to wear the European champion jersey after winning in 2020 and 2021. His season started in the worst possible way with a femur fracture at Omloop Nieuwsblad, but he returned to a high level and won the time trials at the Tour of Poland and the Vuelta a España before finishing seventh in the World Championship.

Facing him is Primož Roglič, who will race at home and on a route particularly interesting for his characteristics. The Slovenian is the Olympic champion in this specialty and the current national champion, and the climb to Možjanca offers him terrain to try to distance himself from the heavier specialists.

Jakob Söderqvist will be another name to watch. The Swede was fighting for bronze in the Montreal World Championship until he suffered a fall in the final kilometers, yet he managed to finish fifth.

Denmark will have Kasper Asgreen and Mikkel Bjerg, eighth and twelfth respectively in Montreal, while Great Britain will arrive with Ethan Hayter and Callum Thornley after opting out of the road event to focus on the time trial.

Spain will have Iván Romeo as one of its main options. The Spanish cyclist finished 15th in the World Championship time trial and arrives after achieving a notable fifth place in the European road event. The profile of Šenčur, especially the climb to Možjanca, should suit his characteristics better than a completely flat time trial.

Bruno Armirail, Mattia Cattaneo, Ilan Van Wilder, Nelson Oliveira, and Jan Tratnik complete a very open list of candidates in an edition that, without Evenepoel or Ganna, offers a difficult opportunity to repeat for many of the contenders.