Wednesday 7 October 2026: European Championships time trial men – Šenčur – Šenčur (22.1 km)

The European Championships time trial for elite men covers 22.1 km with 367 metres of elevation gain according to the organisers. It is the eleventh edition of this discipline at the European Championships. The first rider starts at 16:15, the last of the 44 participants at 16:58. Other sources mention 391 to 397 metres of elevation gain for the same lap. The course is not flat: one short, steep climb and a technical descent determine the time gaps. The riders complete a single lap, so there is no second chance to win back time.

Route

The riders start and finish in Šenčur, north of Ljubljana, on the same lap as the road races. The first 5.8 km are on almost flat roads to the first time check in Tupaliče. The road first rises gradually, with a short hill near Olševek.

After a sharp right-hand turn in Tupaliče, Možjanca begins (2.1 km at 10.2%, with peaks up to 15.8%). At the top, about 3.5 km follow on narrow, rolling roads towards Štefanja Gora, where the second time check is located. After that, the road descends for more than 4 km past the valley station of the cable car to Krvavec, on a narrow and technical road. The last 7 km to Cerklje na Gorenjskem and the finish are flat. The final bend, shortly before the finish, was a place where riders crashed during the road races.

The pace calls for careful pacing of the effort. Anyone who starts too fast on the flat opening kilometres will pay for it on Možjanca. Anyone who goes too deep on the climb will feel it in the technical middle section and the descent, where speeds are high.

Recent editions

Swiss riders won the title in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Defending champion Evenepoel, who also became world time trial champion in September, is not on the start list of 44 participants.

Local

Šenčur is a municipality in the Gorenjska region with just over 3,100 inhabitants, at an altitude of about 400 metres. The same lap was used earlier this week for the European Championships road races. Slovenia has two starters in the time trial and therefore rides in front of a home crowd. The women's, junior and under-23 time trials are also on the programme the same day, all on this lap.

Scenarios

A time trial for the time trial specialists: the first 5.8 km and the last 7 km are flat and fast. Jakob Söderqvist and Mathias Vacek fit that type.

Climbers with a strong finishing effort and puncheurs gain time on Možjanca. Primož Roglič fits this profile and is riding in his home country.

Time triallists who survive the climb without major time loss, such as Bruno Armirail, can come back in the descent and the flat final phase.

Weather forecast

On Wednesday 7 October it is mostly dry in Šenčur, with a maximum of 21.4°C and a minimum of 6.6°C. Precipitation is limited to 0.2 mm. Around the start of the last riders there is a south-westerly wind of about 15 km/h, mainly a crosswind in the flat final phase.

TV guide

• Eurosport 1: 16:05
• HBO Max: 16:05
• VRT 1: 16:15