EUROPEAN TITLES ON THE LINE IN SLOVENIA

One week it’s the physical and metaphorical heights of Mont Royal in Canada; the next, it’s the serene alpine foothills of Slovenia.

For the U23 and Elite Women, action at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal concluded last Thursday and Saturday respectively, while racing resumes for the younger category at the 2026 UEC European Road Championships today (Friday, October 2), followed by the elites tomorrow (Saturday, October 3).

After demonstrating strong form in Canada through road race breakaways and top-10 finishes alike, WorldTeam members Wilma Aintila (Finland) and Justyna Czapla (Germany) will again be in action on Friday, before returning for next Wednesday’s time trial – reversing the usual order of disciplines. Generation’s Joëlle Messemer (Germany) also makes the journey from Canadian soil after an impressive ride in support of Justyna, while Jule Märkl makes it a trio of CANYON//SRAM riders representing Germany.

With 10th and 9th respectively in the World Championships time trial and road race, Justyna heads into Europeans as one of Germany’s top candidates, looking to convert the strong form she showed in Montréal into an even higher finish.

“After having a good feeling at Worlds, I’m feeling confident heading into the upcoming Europeans. I had a few good days at home and am ready to give it everything once again. The motivation is still high and I hope the legs are there too. I want to fight for the podium again. I‘m also really looking forward to racing in Slovenia.”

Poland’s Weronika Wasaty will also contest Friday’s U23 road race, while Saturday will see Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney pull on the red and white. Kasia will also contest Wednesday’s time trial, while Agnieszka, Antonia Niedermaier, Soraya Paladin and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig will have their sights solely set on Saturday’s road race.

Antonia played an important team role in Montréal, riding in support of Franziska Koch and Liane Lippert on a course that wasn’t entirely to her favour. She’ll look to do similar in Slovenia.

“I’m just here as a helper for Franzi, so I don’t have any personal expectations or ambitions. I’ll just try to do a good job with that, and see what comes of it.”

The drama of Montréal is still fresh, with Kasia claiming silver in a thrilling elite road race finale that saw her remain in contention for the rainbow jersey until the final 50m. It was her second-ever World Championships road medal, but with barely any time to dwell on the achievement, attention quickly turns to Slovenia and another championship opportunity. From October 2-7, the stars and blue stripes of the European champion’s jerseys are up for grabs, as Slovenia hosts a major international road cycling championship for the first time.

For a country that has ‘LOVE’ contained within its name, it’s only fitting that the Elite road races begin in the heart of the capital, Ljubljana, before heading out of the city centre and meandering through a largely flat mix of unassuming urban and rural roads.

All titles will be fought for on a demanding 22.1km finishing circuit, and while distances vary between road race categories, everyone will tackle exactly the same time trial course. With 367m of climbing, the singular loop isn’t inherently suited to the traditional TT specialists, making for a more open contest.

The trademark feature is the mighty climb to Možjanca (2.1km at 10.2%), where gradients touch upon ~16% in the final 200m. The Elite women’s peloton will tackle this Slovenian beast twice in the road race, but the reprieve is by no means immediate once they crest the summit. There are still 14km to the finish in Šenčur, including several undulating kilometres before a technical descent and fast-rolling valley roads. Enacting a chase could prove difficult until the final 5km of each circuit, when the road finally begins to peter out and become largely straight.

The U23 riders will begin their race directly in Šenčur, tackling a modest 88km but, as in Montréal, a more intensely hilly course than their Elite counterparts. They take on four ascents of Možjanca and nearly 1600m of climbing in total, compared with ~1300m across 139km for the Elites.

HOW TO FOLLOW

U23 Women Road Race | Fri, Oct 2  | 88.4km | 1587m elevation | start 9:00 – fastest finish 11:16 CET | not live.

Elite Women RR | Sat, Oct 3  | 139km | 1322m | 13:30 – 16:54 CET | live from 13:30.

Team Mixed Relay | Tue, Oct 6 | 44.2km | 791m | 15:30 CET | live from 15:00.

U23 Women TT | Wed, Oct 7  | 21.9km | 392m | 11:30 CET | not live.

Elite Women Time Trial | Wed, Oct 7  | 21.9km | 392m | 14:30 CET | live from 14:30.

Coverage of some events will be available on TNT Sports, Eurosport, HBO Max, FloBikes, and many regional broadcasters. Stay updated online with #EUROROAD2026, and follow CANYON//SRAM social channels for all the latest team news.