European Cycling Championship 2024: schedules, favorites, and how to watch

With a World Championship that, on paper, will be a terrain for climbers given the great toughness of the route, the 2024 European Championship held in the surroundings of the Flemish province of Limburg becomes almost the last occasion of the season for pure classics riders to bid farewell to the year with a great victory, one that allows them to wear a distinctive jersey throughout the following season.

Flanders hosts the 2024 European Cycling Championship

Although it does not quite achieve the relevance of other events on the calendar, little by little, the European Cycling Championship is beginning to gain interest among professional cyclists who are starting to see it as a kind of B World Championship that allows them to compete for a title that is more accessible than the rainbow jersey.

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As we mentioned at the beginning, this year, if possible, the interest is even greater because, for many cyclists, it will be difficult to shine in the Zurich World Championship due to the tremendous toughness of the chosen route for the occasion. This has led to a good number of specialists in the spring classics gathering in Limburg.

2024 European Cycling Championship Schedule

The European Championship will take place between September 11 and the following Sunday 15, with the men's elite race closing the competition, as usual. These are the times and days when the different events will take place.

Wednesday, September 11

• 9:00 - Junior Women's Time Trial
• 10:15 - Junior Men's Time Trial
• 11:45 - U23 Women's Time Trial
• 13:15 - U23 Men's Time Trial
• 15:00 - Elite Women's Time Trial
• 16:30 - Elite Men's Time Trial

Thursday, September 12

• 11:30 - Junior Mixed Relay
• 14:20 - Elite Mixed Relay

Friday, September 13

• 9:30 - U23 Women's Road Race
• 14:30 - U23 Men's Road Race

Saturday, September 14

• 9:00 - Junior Men's Road Race
• 13:30 - Elite Women's Road Race

Sunday, September 15

• 9:00 - Junior Women's Road Race
• 12:30 - Elite Men's Road Race

Favorites to win the 2024 European Cycling Championship

Focusing on the men's elite race, the lineup of cyclists that will gather at the start in the Zolder circuit could not be more select. Starting, of course, with the presence of the incomparable Mathieu van der Poel, who, despite the fall that led to his withdrawal in the Renewi Tour and which according to his own words will prevent him from being at his best and who considers that the circuit does not have enough toughness to be selective, we all know how the Dutchman performs and it is always necessary to consider him as the favorite in any race he takes part in, especially if it includes walls and cobblestones like the European Championship.

However, if the race really does not have such a selective route, the chances of Jasper Philipsen, Van der Poel's teammate at Alpecin-Deceunick but a rival in this race, increase. Philipsen, who this past spring established himself as a top classics rider with his victory in San Remo and a brilliant second place in Roubaix.

Talking about fast men who perform well in the classics, it is also necessary to consider Mads Pedersen, who, for example, in the spring won in Ghent-Wevelgem and his last competition, at the end of August, also ended in victory by winning the Tour of Germany with two stage wins.

And, staying in this line of sprinters but capable of facing the usual tricky terrain and difficulties of a Flemish classic, another strong candidate for victory could be the Italian Jonathan Milan, who Pedersen had to face in the Tour of Germany and who won the other three remaining stages of this race.

Route of the 2024 European Cycling Championship

222.8 kilometers and barely 1,273 meters of elevation gain give a good idea of the little toughness that the chosen route offers, on paper, for the 2024 European Cycling Championship that will travel through the surroundings of the province of Limburg between the Zolder circuit and the nearby city of Hasselt, a region bordering both the Netherlands and the province of Liege.

The route has a very flat first part that leads from Zolder to Hasselt where the cyclists will complete 3 and a half laps of a circuit that passes through what will be the finish line hours later. After that, they will head south where they must complete 3 laps of a second circuit that includes two climbs and two cobbled sections in what should be the most selective part, as the final stretch returns to Hasselt to complete another lap and a half of the previous circuit.

How to watch the 2024 European Cycling Championship

Eurosport has the rights to broadcast the event, both on its Eurosport 1 channel and on the online platform Max where it has been integrated for several months now, allowing us to enjoy the broadcast without commercials. Coverage will include the entire event starting half an hour before the start, at noon.

Additionally, for those who do not have access to the Eurosport channel, you can follow the event through the official streaming from the organization, available on their website.