The full schedule for the 2026 UEC European Road Championships

The 2026 UEC Road European Championships take place from 2 to 7 October, with Ljubljana, Šenčur and ten other host municipalities welcoming more than 800 riders from across Europe.

It is the first time Slovenia has hosted the Road European Championships, with 14 races across the elite, under 23 and junior categories.

The programme begins with three days of road racing before attention turns to the mixed relays and individual time trials.

The championships open on Friday 2 October with the Women Under 23 road race. The riders complete four laps of the 22.1 kilometre circuit around Šenčur for a total distance of 88.4 kilometres.

The Men Under 23 race follows at 13:30 and starts in Ljubljana's Congress Square before finishing in Šenčur. The 141.9 kilometre race includes 1,698 metres of climbing.

The Ljubljana start features a nine kilometre neutralised section through the city centre. Riders pass the Triple Bridge before continuing along Šubičeva, Bleiweisova and Celovška roads towards kilometre zero in Šentvid.

Saturday 3 October begins with the Men Junior road race at 09:00. The 110.5 kilometre race consists of five laps of the finishing circuit and includes 2,020 metres of climbing.

The Women Elite road race follows at 13:30. Starting in Ljubljana and finishing in Šenčur, the race covers 130 kilometres with 1,359 metres of climbing.

Sunday 4 October brings the final two road races. The Women Junior race opens the day at 09:00, covering three laps and 66.3 kilometres.

The Men Elite road race starts at 12:30 from Congress Square in Ljubljana. At 196.3 kilometres and with 2,571 metres of climbing, it is the longest race of the championships.

The routes from Ljubljana pass through Škofja Loka and Kranj before reaching the finishing circuit around Šenčur. The elite races also pass through Kamnik. The decisive 22.1 kilometre circuit features 367 metres of climbing and the ascent to Možjanca, where gradients reach 15.8 per cent.

The Men Under 23 race completes three laps of the circuit, the Women Elite race two and the Men Elite race five.

There is no racing on Monday 5 October, although official time trial training is scheduled.

Competition resumes on Tuesday 6 October with the mixed relays. Both the junior and elite races cover 44.3 kilometres and 733 metres of climbing. The junior relay starts at 11:00, followed by the elite event at 15:00.

Wednesday 7 October closes the championships with all six individual time trials.

Every category races on the same 22.1 kilometre course, starting and finishing in Šenčur, with 367 metres of climbing. The Women Junior race begins at 09:30, followed by the Men Junior, Women Under 23 and Men Under 23 events. The elite women start at 14:30 before the elite men bring the championships to a close from 16:15.

The Men's Elite road race comes exactly one week after the World Championship road race in Montréal, but the European title race will be missing two of the biggest names from the 2025 podium.

Defending European champion Tadej Pogačar will not race again this season after the injuries he suffered in a crash at the Vuelta a España. His absence means the Slovenian will not defend his European title on home roads.

Paul Seixas, who took bronze behind Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel at the 2025 European Championships, will also miss the race. French national coach Thomas Voeckler confirmed that the 19 year old will instead focus on preparing for Il Lombardia on 10 October. According to Voeckler, that decision had already been made before Pogačar's withdrawal.

Evenepoel is therefore among the leading contenders for the European road title. The Belgian has already added another rainbow jersey to his collection in Montréal, winning a fourth consecutive world time trial title on 20 September.

The elite European road title remains one of the major championship honours missing from Evenepoel's palmarès after his successes at the Olympic Games and World Championships.

For Slovenia, Pogačar's absence also changes the complexion of a home championship that had been expected to feature the defending champion. Primož Roglič is among the Slovenian riders who could now take on a more prominent role as the country races for a European title on home roads for the first time.