The 2026 UEC Road European Championships take place in Slovenia from 2-7 October, with the elite women’s and men’s road races followed by the individual time trials later in the week.
For UK viewers, live coverage is available through TNT Sports and HBO Max. The European Championships sit inside TNT Sports’ cycling rights package, with the elite road races and time trials all scheduled for live coverage.
The women’s road race takes place on Saturday 3 October, the men’s race follows on Sunday 4 October, and both elite individual time trials are held on Wednesday 7 October. The elite mixed relay is also on the programme on Tuesday 6 October.
Great Britain are not sending riders to either elite road race in 2026. The British selection is focused on the time trials, with Lauren Dickson entered for the elite women’s event and Callum Thornley for the elite men’s race against the clock.
How to watch the 2026 European Road Championships in the UK
TV: TNT Sports
Streaming: HBO Max
Dates: 2-7 October 2026
Elite road races: 3-4 October
Elite individual time trials: 7 October
TNT Sports is available through the major UK television platforms, including Sky, EE, BT and Virgin Media. Online streaming is now through HBO Max, with TNT Sports no longer carried on discovery+ in the UK.
The exact TNT Sports linear channel can change around other live sport, so the safest option for viewers wanting uninterrupted coverage is the HBO Max event stream. TNT’s online schedule already lists the elite women’s road race, men’s road race and both elite time trials.
2026 European Championships UK TV schedule
| Event | Date | Race start (BST) | UK coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women Elite road race | Saturday 3 October | 12:30 | TNT Sports / HBO Max |
| Men Elite road race | Sunday 4 October | 11:30 | TNT Sports / HBO Max |
| Elite mixed relay | Tuesday 6 October | 14:00 | TNT Sports / HBO Max |
| Women Elite individual time trial | Wednesday 7 October | 13:30 | TNT Sports / HBO Max |
| Men Elite individual time trial | Wednesday 7 October | 15:15 | TNT Sports / HBO Max |
The UEC broadcast plan has the women’s road race feed beginning shortly before the race starts, although the pan-European linear channel is scheduled to join later in the afternoon. HBO Max is therefore the better option if you want the fullest available coverage from the start.
For the men’s road race, the international broadcast window begins before the start and runs through to the finish. The time-trial coverage on Wednesday is also scheduled continuously across the elite women’s and men’s sessions.
Women’s elite road race – Saturday 3 October
The elite women’s road race starts in Ljubljana at 13:30 local time, which is 12:30 BST, and finishes in Šenčur after 130km.
The opening 85.8km are relatively straightforward before the race reaches two laps of the 22.1km finishing circuit. Each lap includes the climb to Možjanca, 2.1km at around 10%, with gradients reaching almost 16%.
Demi Vollering arrives as the defending European champion and newly crowned world champion, with Elisa Longo Borghini, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and Marlen Reusser among the strongest challengers. Our women’s European Championships road race preview covers the main contenders and how the final circuit could be raced.
The full course, including maps and profiles, is available in our 2026 European Road Championships route guide.
Men’s elite road race – Sunday 4 October
The men’s race begins at 12:30 local time, or 11:30 BST, and covers 196.3km from Ljubljana to Šenčur.
The men use the same finishing circuit as the women but complete five laps, making the repeated Možjanca climb the central feature of the race. More than 1,800 metres of climbing are packed into the closing section alone.
Tadej Pogačar will not defend his title after Slovenia confirmed its final team without him. Primož Roglič and Matej Mohorič lead the home squad, while Remco Evenepoel, Mads Pedersen, Juan Ayuso and Marc Hirschi are among the main names expected to start.
For a closer look at the favourites and the tactical shape of the race, see our men’s European Championships road race preview.
Women’s and men’s individual time trials – Wednesday 7 October
The elite time trials both take place on the 22.1km Šenčur circuit, using the same roads that form the finishing loop for the road races.
The women’s elite time trial starts at 14:30 local time, or 13:30 BST. The international broadcast feed is scheduled to begin at around 13:20 BST, with live coverage running into the men’s event later in the afternoon.
The men’s elite time trial is scheduled for 16:15 local time, or 15:15 BST, with the live feed beginning around 15:05 BST.
This is not a conventional flat championship time trial. The route includes 367 metres of climbing in only 22.1km and uses the same Možjanca ascent as the road-race circuit. The climb, technical descent and final flat run back to Šenčur make pacing and bike handling unusually important for a European Championship against the clock.
Great Britain’s elite representation is concentrated here. Lauren Dickson will ride the women’s event, while Callum Thornley starts the men’s TT after finishing 10th at the World Championships and taking second in the Vuelta a España time trial. Zoe Bäckstedt, silver medallist in the Worlds time trial, is not part of the European Championships squad.
Is the European Championships free to watch in the UK?
There is no confirmed free-to-air UK television coverage of the elite road races or individual time trials. The live UK rights sit with TNT Sports, with streaming through HBO Max.
The UEC does provide some races directly through its YouTube channel, particularly junior events, but the elite men’s and women’s road races and time trials are covered by the main broadcast rights package rather than the free UEC stream in the UK.
Who is racing for Great Britain?
British Cycling have again chosen a small, time-trial-focused squad for the European Championships. There will be no British riders in either elite road race.
Lauren Dickson is the sole British entrant in the elite women’s time trial and Callum Thornley will ride the elite men’s event. Ben Wiggins is also part of the squad for the men’s under-23 time trial.
Early entry lists had included riders such as Anna Henderson and Ethan Hayter, but neither is part of the final elite selection. That means British interest in Slovenia is concentrated almost entirely on Wednesday’s time trials.
The latest entries across the championships can be followed in our European Championships start-list guide.
