UEC explains photo finish that saw Evenepoel win European title by millimetres

The Union Européenee de Cyclisme (UEC) has defended the accuracy of the photo finish that awarded Remco Evenepoel the European road race title ahead of Giulio Ciccone, after the Italian questioned the validity of the images used to determine the outcome. 

Ciccone launched his sprint early, jumping past Evenepoel around the last corner and opening up a advantage. However, the Belgian hunted the Italian down ands beat at the very last with a well-timed bike throw. Race officials needed several minutes to confirm the result but Evenepoel was declared as the new European champion.

The difference between Evenepoel and Ciccone was measured at 0.0002 seconds or 0.2 milliseconds. Considering the speed the riders were travelling, that translates to an estimated gap of between 2.8 and 3.3 millimetres. 

Ciccone was devastated and posted on social media that he wanted to see the “photo finish of the real finish line” after reviewing the available footage. 

The UEC issued a statement explaining in response to speculation about the result and the position of the phot finish, revealing the technology used in Šenčur and how it showed that Evenepoel had beaten Ciccone by the narrowest of margins. 

“The Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC) informs that the photo finish system used at the UEC 2026 European Road Championships (EtherLynx Vision PRO X) records the finish line thousands of times per second (13,000 in the case of the European Championship races), making it possible to determine the finishing order with extreme precision even in cases of minimal differences,” read the official statement.

The governing body went on to explain how the image should not be interpreted as a regular photograph, as it is essentially a visual timeline of the riders crossing the line rather than a snapshot of their position.  

“It is important to clarify that the photo finish is not a traditional photograph. The final image is composed of the chronological succession of recordings made on the finish line: for this reason, the horizontal axis represents time and not distance,” said the UEC.

“This can generate apparent distortions of wheels, bicycles and riders, with no consequence on the accuracy of the result.”

The UEC also confirmed that the result was independently checked by two different systems, to strengthen the validity of the outcome.

“In cycling, the determining reference is the most advanced (tangent) part of the front wheel at the moment it reaches the finish line. At the European Championships, two independent photo finish systems were used, which provided two separate images for result verification," added the UEC.

EvoData, the company responsible for the timing and photo finish system at the European Championships, provided further detail to Tuttobici on how the result was determined.

Co-founder Paolo Orestilli confirmed that the system’s primary camera can capture up to 13,000 lines per second, while a second synchronised camera provides an additional check on the results. 

EvoData calculated the difference between Evenepoel and Ciccone at 0.0002 seconds or 0.2 milliseconds. Considering the speed the riders were travelling as they sprinted to the line, that means the gap between Evenepoel and Ciccone was between 2.8 and 3.3 millimetres.