2026 European Cycling Championships Elite Men Preview | No Pogačar in Slovenia, but plenty of favourites with a point to prove

The European Championship for elite men has only existed since 2016, but in those ten editions it has already produced an impressive list of champions. In fact, no one has ever managed to win the title a second time. Peter Sagan was the first winner in 2016, followed by Alexander Kristoff, Matteo Trentin, Elia Viviani, Fabio Jakobsen, and Christophe Laporte, among others.

Last year, Tadej Pogačar rounded out the list. The Slovenian was set to defend his title in 2026—in his home country, no less—but his serious crash in the Vuelta a España put an end to those plans. Despite rumors of a miraculously quick return, UAE Team Emirates-XRG reiterated this week that Pogacar will not race again this season.

2025 Tadej Pogacar
2024 Tim Merlier
2023 Christophe Laporte
2022 Fabio Jakobsen
2021 Sonny Colbrelli
2020 Giacomo Nizzolo
2019 Elia Viviani
2018 Matteo Trentin
2017 Alexander Kristoff
2016 Peter Sagan

Anyone looking only at the 196.3 kilometers and 2,571 meters of elevation gain might think that the organizers have mapped out a fairly standard hilly race. That impression changes when we take a closer look at the profile. The first 85.8 kilometers are mostly flat, after which virtually all the serious climbing is crammed into five local loops around Šenčur.

The race starts at Kongresni trg in the heart of Ljubljana. After nine neutralized kilometers, kilometer zero is reached in Šentvid, and the peloton heads toward Šenčur, passing through Škofja Loka, Kranj, Kamnik, and Komenda, among other towns. That’s where the finish line is crossed for the first time, and the real finale can begin. That local loop is 22.1 kilometers long and features 367 meters of elevation gain on each lap.

The biggest challenge is called Možjanca. According to the organizers, it’s about 2.1 kilometers at a 10.2 percent grade, with sections as steep as 15.8 percent. Five such climbs are a whole different story compared to the relatively gentle first part of the race. And once they reach the top, the riders aren’t done yet. After Možjanca, the road continues along a narrow, undulating stretch, followed by a technical descent toward the base of Krvavec.

The route then races through the valley at breakneck speed, with a few more flat kilometers remaining toward Šenčur. The summit of Možjanca is located about 14 kilometers from the finish line on the final lap. That’s what makes it interesting: a pure climber can break away on the steep sections, but must then hold on alone or with a small group.

So it’s not a course where you simply climb five times and the strongest climber automatically wins. A rider with both power and endurance might actually benefit even more here. Anyone who just manages to survive on Možjanca will then have time to recover. But anyone who’s pushed to the limit five times on a climb with a gradient of over 10 percent could very well break for good in the final lap.

There is still some uncertainty about the weather a few days before the race. Local weather stations are currently forecasting temperatures of around 19 degrees for Šenčur, with mostly cloudy skies, light winds, and little to no precipitation. Other sites, however, indicate a significantly higher chance of a few showers. One thing that seems fairly consistent, though, is that strong winds do not appear to be a major factor on Sunday.

Start: 11:49 a.m GMT / 6:49 a.m ET

The first country everyone will be watching is Belgium. Remco Evenepoel once again became world time trial champion in Montreal, but had a much tougher day in the road race. However, he never gave up, and after a week of recovery, we have high expectations for the Belgian team leader. The Možjanca is an Evenepoel climb, and it’s especially around that section that the “Aerokogel of Schepdaal” can make a difference.

His home country of Slovenia had been counting on Pogacar, but is now switching to Plan B— Primož Roglič—and perhaps even Plan C— Jakob Omrzel. Roglic rode aggressively at the World Championships and is generally in good form, but Omrzel skipped the World Championships, is still fresh, and showed in the Vuelta a España—with a stage win and a seventh-place finish in the general classification—that he is a dangerous dark horse. Matej Mohoric is also a Slovenian option.

In the search for climbers who can make a difference and sprinters who might be able to survive, there are more interesting lineups. The Czech Republic is fielding Mathias Vacek as a true sprinter, while Italy, with Giulio Ciccone, Giulio Pellizzari, and Christian Scaroni, is banking on a tougher climb-heavy course. The Netherlands, too, with Wout Poels and Tijmen Graat , stands to benefit from a grueling race.

As a result, the race is expected to feature a fast pace and grueling wattage on the climbs, which will play to the strengths of riders like Juan Ayuso (Spain), Jan Christen (Switzerland), and Felix Großschartner (Austria). France is also fielding a climbing team featuring Romain Grégoire, Kévin Vauquelin, and Mathys Rondel. Germany has Marco Brenner on the team.

Still, there are also plenty of riders who, while not among the absolute world elite when it comes to climbing, have proven time and again that they can handle a course like this. In addition to Vacek and Mohoric, we can mention names such as Diego Ulissi ( Italy), Iván Roméo (Spain), Mads Pedersen (Denmark), Léo Bisiaux ( France), Antonio Morgado (Portugal), and Toms Skujins ( Latvia).

Top Favorite: Remco Evenepoel (Belgium)
Dark horses: Giulio Ciccone (Italy), Mathias Vacek (Czech Republic), Mads Pedersen (Denmark), and Romain Grégoire (France)
Long shots: Kévin Vauquelin, Léo Bisiaux, Mathys Rondel (France), Primoz Roglic, Jakob Omrzel, Matej Mohoric (Slovenia), Juan Ayuso, Iván Roméo (Spain), Christian Scaroni, Giulio Pellizzari, Diego Ulissi (Italy), Marc Hirschi, Jan Christen (Switzerland), Wout Poels, Tijmen Graat (Netherlands), Toms Skujins (Latvia), Antonio Morgado (Portugal), Marco Brenner (Germany), and Felix Großschartner (Austria)