2026 Euros women's elite road race preview: Can anyone stop Demi Vollering?

The last five editions of the Euros have seen a variety of course rewarding a range of riders. 

2025 saw Demi Voillering complete a brilliant solo victory after flying clear 37km out from the line. In 2024, Lorena Wiebes displayed her class in sprint situations once more as she beat Elisa Balsamo and Daria Pikulik.

It was home-nation success for the Netherlands in 2023 as Mischa Bredewold attacked with 10km to go and held on over the Col du Vam.

Wiebes won from a sprint in Munich in 2022, while Ellen van Dijk was victorious in 2021. 

• 📅 Date: Saturday, 3 October 2026
• 📍 Route: Ljubljana - Šenčur
• 📏 Distance: 130km / 80.7 miles
• ⛰️ Elevation Gain: 1,359m / 4,459ft
• ⏱️ Start Time: 13:30 CET
• 🏁 Expected Finish: 16:54 CET

The women's road race covers 130km and 1,359 metres of elevation gain, beginning in central Ljubljana. 

After a 9km neutralised section through the city, including the Triple Bridge, the race officially gets underway in Šentvid before heading through Škofja Loka, Kranj, Volčji Potok, Kamnik and Komenda. 

The route reaches Šenčur for the first time near Strmol Castle, where the decisive circuit begins.

The riders will complete two laps of the 22.1km circuit, each containing 367 metres of climbing, after 85.8km of racing on the opening section. 

The circuit gradually rises through Olševek towards Tupaliče before the sharp turn onto Možjanca. 

The steep climb is followed by rolling roads through Štefanja Gora rather than an immediate descent, before a technical drop towards Krvavec and a fast run back through the valley. Strmol Castle comes with just over seven kilometres remaining on each lap.

With only two passages of Možjanca, the race lacks the repeated accumulation of climbing that will define the men's event. Therefore, there will be no time for waiting on the ascent for the strongest climbers in the race, who will look to make the difference. 

After the long opening section and first lap, the second time up will mark the last major opportunity to create a decisive gap before the technical descent and fast finish into Šenčur.

There's no doubt about it: defending champion Demi Vollering is the clear favourite. Everything that the Dutchwoman has touched in the 2026 season has turned to gold.

With 17 victories to her name in 2026, including the Giro, Tour and Worlds, winning the European title will be the icing on the cake.

With the nature of the parcours, it's hard to see any other outlook than a Vollering victory.

Coming second in the Montreal Worlds and also enjoying a fine season herself is Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Poland). Pipped to the line on Sunday will only spur on the Pole to go one better, and she is likely to be the main challenger to Vollering.

Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) was the final rider on the podium in Montreal and will be aiming to hang onto a potential Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney group once more on Sunday. She will be hoping to at least match her podium at the Euros from 2016, when she finished 3rd after a reduced group contested the victory.

Paula Blasi (Spain) is an interesting rider to keep an eye on for a long-range attack, especially with the way the circuit is built up. In a reduced group, it is hard to see her succeed with a victory.

The French duo of Juliette Berthet and Cédrine Kerbaol make for an intriguing team, which is bound to light up the race. Berthet took a solid 5th at the Worlds, most recently.

Other riders to keep an eye on include Noemi Rüegg (Switzerland), Dominika Włodarczyk (Poland),and Franziska Koch (Germany).