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Follow us on GoogleMara Winter has been crowned European champion in the women’s U23 category. After just over two hours of challenging racing in Ljubljana, she emerged as the best rider in Slovenia. The Netherlands performed well, finishing second and fourth with Nienke Vinke and Megan Arens. World champion Viktoria Chladonova took third place.
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The European Championships kicked off in Sencur this morning with the Women's U23 road race. Newly-crowned World Champion Viktoria Chladonova (Slovakia) was at the starting line, but following an illness after the World Championships she had branded herself 'a question mark'.
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20-year-old Winter narrowly missed out on a medal last week at the World Championships where she finished with a surprise fourth place behind Fleur Moors.
Moors, who won bronze in Montréal, was also among the favourites for the European Championships.
With only 88.4 kilometres to go, the question was whether any riders would dare to make a move early on. A quarter of the way through the race, no breakaway group had formed.
With four ascents of Mozjanca to come, (2.1 kilometers at a 10 percent gradient), it was a waiting game.
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Arens attacks; select group forms
Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark tried to control the race where possible, but it was mainly the Dutch team that stepped up the pace with their entire squad on the second climb of Mozjanca.
Only 25 riders remained in the group at the summit, but the pace dropped off immediately after the climb. Moors saw her chance and tried to break away on the descent, before Gaia Segato of Italy also made an attempt.
It was all to no avail, as the pace picked up again heading toward the third climb of Mozjanca. Testing her legs at this point, Chladonova also made a move.
This time, only a small group of ten remained, along with two riders up the road. The two race leaders were Megan Arens and Mara Winter. The Swedish rider Stina Kagevi rode alone between the two leaders, and the group of favourites behind her, which included Vinke and Chladonova.
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A group of four leaders forms on the road
Winter and Arens built an advantage of around a minute, before Vinke attacked on the final climb up Mozjanca, and together with Chladonova, bridged to join Arens and Winter.
The four leaders were able to push the pace. On the descent, they had a 20-second lead over the group behind them. With the Dutch being able to pair up against the other two riders in the group, they seemed to have the advantage.
The group behind stayed too close for the Dutch riders to make the most of their tactical advantage, forcing Arens to commit to leading the group out into the final stretch.
Winter goes long
Winter accelerated almost immediately as the four came into the final kilometre. Vinke was able to gain some ground during the long drag to the finish, but was unable to catch the Swiss rider as she threw her bike over the line.
Chladonova finished third, with Arens crossing four seconds later, tired from her efforts in aid of Vinke.
Winter joins an illustrious list of U23 European champions, with former winners including Elisa Balsamo, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, and Marianne Vos.
She is only the second Swiss medalist in the U23 road race at the European Championships, and first ever Swiss winner. Linda Zanetti won bronze in 2023.
Results of the 2026 European Cycling Championships - Women's U23 Road Race
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
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Clarice WebsterEditor
Clarice has been following cycling her whole life, wroting about Thibaut Pinot (among others) for her university magazine while earning her masters in Journalism. She is passionate about furthering equality in sports coverage, and has taken huge inspiration from pillars of women’s cycling like Beryl Burton, Marianne Vos, and Laura Kenny.
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Latest Comments
- - Loved the pod breakdown. Boonen spot on: Remco showed ridiculous resilience, but the collective tactics were off. You can’t mark every move and still save legs for the finale.sprocketspiny02-10-2026
- - Pidcock throwing shade about del Toro in Montréal felt a tad salty. Teams always ride tactics; it’s worlds, not a club race. If Tom wants revenge at Lombardia, he’ll need to mark Ayuso and Remco too, not just McNulty. Vamos Brandon, forza UAE!velodromevirtuoso101-10-2026
- - Wait, so Pogačar is “finished for 2026” but also only back at Tour Down Under 2027? Bit confusing—does that mean he’s out for the whole of 2026 season, or is it just no racing until Jan 2027? Can someone clarify the timeline?lindae01-10-2026
- - Brilliant piece. McNulty in the maglia iridata at San Luca is going to be class. If he measures the final laps and doesn’t overcook it early, he can outsprint most on that ramp.raceready701-10-2026
- - Is October 3 correct for Giro dell’Emilia this year? Thought it usually lands the first weekend but the date here looks off by a day. Either way, stacked UAE roster—curious how they juggle Yates/Wellens/Narváez with the new rainbow stripes.jeremya01-10-2026
- - Wild to think Pogačar wanted to race already when Mir said the collarbone was fine, but Gianetti’s playing the long game. If McNulty carries that Montréal snap into Emilia and Lombardia, watch out. His TT engine plus those short climbs = trouble for Remco and Pidcock.davidm01-10-2026
- - McNulty solo win gets one line? Come on, give Brandon some kudos—his timing on Camillien-Houde was spot on, and MvDP covered a lot to set that finale up. Grande artículo, pero faltan detalles de la táctica en Montréal.patriciaw01-10-2026
- - Not sure why the piece keeps circling back to “we’ll see” without new info. Feels a bit padded. Either he races CX or he doesn’t—tell us when he’ll decide.raceready701-10-2026
- - I’d miss the cross battles if he sits out. The last winter run from Namur onwards—13 straight wins and Hulst rainbow—was insane. But resting might be the only way to consistently match Pog next April.jeremya01-10-2026
- - Quick question: the article says the baby is due around the time of the 2027 CX Worlds in Ostend, but earlier it says January with the 2026/this winter schedule. Is that a typo on the year?julien01-10-2026
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