A Pogacar and Roglic homecoming - 2026 European Road Championships set for Slovenia

With the parcours still to be confirmed by the Slovenian federation, one notable detail is that all road races, from juniors to elites in both men and women, will be held before the time trials.

The action begins on October 3, 2026 with the Men’s Junior Road Race and the Women’s Elite Road Race. The following day, October 4, features the Women’s Junior and the Men’s Elite Road Race.

The programme concludes with the under-23 categories on October 6, with both the Men’s and Women’s U23 Road Races. All time trial events across the classifications will then take place on October 7.

President of the Slovenian Cycling Federation, Pavel Marđonović, previously told OA Sport regarding the hosting of the championships: "The European Cycling Championships would be the biggest sporting event Slovenia has ever organised so far."

With the UEC European Road Championships now confirmed for Slovenia, the country is already dreaming bigger, with aspirations of hosting the 2029 Tour de France Grand Départ. Slovenia is no stranger to Grand Tour racing, with the Giro d’Italia frequently venturing in and around the country in recent years. Most memorably, Stage 20 of the 2023 Giro saw Primož Roglič secure the maglia rosa in front of a passionate home crowd, close to the Slovenian border.

Just like this year, the scheduling of the World Championships and the European Championships in 2026 brings dilemmas for riders and federations. The Worlds in Montreal run from September 20 to 27, finishing a week before the Europeans, once again forcing choices and logistical challenges.

In 2025 the gap was even tighter, with riders like Remco Evenepoel having barely 72 hours to travel from Kigali to Ardèche for the European Championships. In 2026 the calendar offers slightly more breathing room, but the transatlantic travel adds the challenge of time difference and jet lag, whereas Kigali was in the same time zone as the European event.

With the 2025 UEC European Championships Men’s Elite Road Race coming up this Sunday, all eyes will be on Tadej Pogačar. The newly crowned two-time World Champion faces fierce opposition from Remco Evenepoel, João Almeida and Jonas Vingegaard as he lines up on home roads.

The big question ahead of the 2026 European Championships in Slovenia is whether he will defend his European title, or finally claim the continental crown that has so far eluded him.