Who are the riders to watch at the 2026 European Road Championships?

Jakob Omrzel (Slovenia) will be riding in his home nation and will be full of confidence and vigour after his exploits in the Vuelta. 

His first Grand Tour was a wild one, taking a fantastic solo victory on stage 12 and finishing 7th in the general classification, laying the foundations for his future.

As mentioned, Omrzel and the Slovenian team will be spurred on by the Slovenian cycling fanatics roadside and on the matter, the 20-year-old told Domestique in an interview a week before the race.

"They're predicting there's going to be quite a lot of people. Pogi is not going to race, but still they're predicting a lot of crowds beside the parcours. The atmosphere is going to be great, and even for us as riders it's going to be the cherry on top.

With Primoz Roglic confirmed to be on the start list, it is expected that Omrzel will be slightly down the pecking order, but as we saw in Montreal on Sunday, a rider has the ability to swoop under the radar. In his native land, why can't Omrzel be that man?

Anthon Charmig (Denmark) has been in solid form as the seasons change from Summer to Autumn. The 28-year-old Dane first displayed signs of form at the GP Industria before heading to North America for the WorldTour double and Worlds. 

A great performance in Quebec saw Charmig take third place after being dropped on the final climb as a consequence of Remco Evenepoel's brutal pace. 

He carried that form into the World Championships, where he finished 24th, an average result on paper, but on another day, Charmig could have scored a high-placing result. 

The Uno-X Mobility rider, his trade team, was situated in all the right moves in the key moments, but simply none stuck, and that led to him suffering towards the end of the race.

If Charmig gets himself in the right move, then a strong result will be on the cards come Sunday.

What a brilliant Vuelta Urko Berrade did. Riding for Equipo Kern Pharma, the 28-year-old Spaniard was ever-present in breakaways, a part of five strong breaks that reaped the reward of second, fourth, fifth, thirtieth, thirty-ninth, and fiftieth places.

It's safe to say Berrade has a diesel engine on him, and do not be surprised if he is up the road on Sunday or if he plays a key role in supporting the Spanish leaders.

Berrade did start the 2025 European Championships, but he was a DNF, so he will be aiming to do better in Slovenia on Sunday and carry on his Vuelta momentum.

Alessandro Fancellu has been having himself a season in the pro ranks. Two stage wins to his name and consistently competes for the GC in many of the races he competes in.

Most recently, the 26-year-old Italian finished third in the four-day stage race, Giro d'Abruzzo, with two fifth-place finishes in the one-day Italian races, Giro della Toscana and GP Industria, and a second-place finish in the GC at the Czech Tour behind AJ August of Netcompany-Ineos.

A call-up to the Italian national team has been richly deserved for Fancellu, and he is certainly going to be competing well in a strong Italian team on Sunday.

Emil Herzog (Germany) is another rider with huge potential at 21 years old.

The 2022 Junior Road Race winner from the 2022 Worlds has been professional since 2024, so he is already full of experience with the nature of the peloton.

His 2026 season has been a mixed affair, but he has taken some results, including a second-place finish on a stage in Valenciana and a fourth in the demanding Bretagne Classic. 

Herzog is also competent in the time trial discipline, so if he can escape with a rider or two, then he has the potential to be a threat, but if that is not the case, then he is bound to be a key asset in supporting the German team.