With six months to go until the 2026 European Championships in Slovenia, national coach Uroš Murn said he already has a rough squad in mind but will wait until after the Tour de France before making final selections.
"Nobody has declined the invitation," Murn said in an interview with Slovenian title Delo Sport, before adding that form and desire would determine the final eight.
The championships are scheduled for 2–7 October, with road races and time trials taking place on a circuit that, according to Delo's reporting, will start in Ljubljana and finish in Šenčur. The Kolesarska zveza Slovenije has not officially confirmed the route, but Murn indicated the decisive climbing section, the Možjanca, was requested by Slovenian riders before the country was even awarded hosting rights. "The winner will not be decided by the route, but by the riders on it," Murn said.
Slovenia's hosting of the event creates a selection puzzle. The national team has eight places available: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and seven others. The country now has 10 WorldTour riders and one ProTeam-level rider in its pool, giving Murn a depth that would have been unthinkable five years ago, when filling championship quotas was still a genuine concern.
A calendar built for difficult choices
The complication is timing. The World Championships in Montreal fall at the end of September, roughly a week before the European Championships begin. Slovenia plans to keep riders in Canada between the GP Québec and GP Montréal on 11 and 13 September and the Worlds itself, with accommodation and reconnaissance already arranged by general secretary Domen Žigante.
That back-to-back schedule means the European Championships squad will closely resemble the Worlds team, but one major variable remains: Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). Murn said Roglič's availability for both championships depends on how his Vuelta a España campaign ends, with the Spanish Grand Tour finishing only two weeks before the Worlds road race. "After the Vuelta we will see what his wishes are, for the World Championships and the European Championships," Murn said.
Pogačar and Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) have already expressed interest in riding the time trial, and Murn said Slovenia also wants to field a mixed team time trial entry. The Možjanca-centred course would suit both Pogačar and Roglič if both are available.
Beyond the headline names, Murn pointed to a widening talent pool. With Luka Mezgec (Jayco AlUla) retiring after this season and Roman Ermakov (Bahrain Victorious) joining the programme, Slovenia expects to have 11 top-level riders available going forward, plus several continental-level options. Ermakov, a 21-year-old Russian who has lived and trained in Slovenia for several years, holds a Slovenian licence but cannot represent the country in 2026 because he has previously raced for Russia.
The final roster selection will follow the Tour de France, with no positions currently guaranteed.
Cover image credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
