The stars of the World Championships now head to Slovenia for the European Championships, on another tough course around the capital city of Ljubljana that finishes with a circuit around Šenčur. Demi Vollering comes to the race off the back of taking the world title but she faces nearly all of the same challengers yet again.
Marlen Reusser faces 14 rivals in the time trial, while 95 riders are set for the road race.
Možjanca’s 2.1km climb, averaging 10.2%, gives attackers an opening at Slovenia’s women’s European Championships, but seven flat finishing kilometres offer chasers a way back.
Road race: two Možjanca ascents
Saturday’s race starts in Ljubljana at 13:30 CEST on 3 October. The 129.9km course has 1,359m of climbing: an 85.7km approach and two 22.1km laps follow nine neutralised kilometres.
On the circuit, each lap gains 367m, climbing through Olševek to Tupaliče before Možjanca. Rolling terrain beyond the summit hinders regrouping; the technical descent to Krvavec can extend gaps before the fast valley and flat run-in.
Demi Vollering has dominated this season, winning the Giro, Tour and world titles in a fabulous style that has seen some of the best races in years. She is, once again, the favourite to retain her European title. But, now she has the rainbow bands, will she try quite as hard to win and remove the European jersey from the peloton for the next year?
Elisa Longo Borghini showed she has excellent form as well with her bronze in the road race and her fourth in the time trial at the worlds. She was also part of the Italian team that won the mixed relay, giving her a first world title at the age of 34.
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney pushed Vollering all the way in Canada but just came up short due to it coming down to a sprint with her great rival as well as the Pole cramping in the final few metres of the race. The short, sharp climbs suit her attributes perfectly but she will need to get away solo if she has any hope of taking the title.
Marlen Reusser came fourth in the road race over in Canada and showed that her incredible time trial power can put her in a position to go for victory. She will likely focus on the flatter sections of the course to try and ghost off the front and steal a march on her rivals as once she has about 10 metres, she is incredibly hard to catch.
Lorena Wiebes is a very interesting inclusion by the Dutch squad. They have come with a varied squad but the inclusion of the fastest woman in the world raises eyebrows given the course. That said, the Dutch rocket has shown her climbing ability has improved exponentially in recent years without losing that explosivity in a sprint. If it does all come together in the final, she is almost nailed on to take the win and win the European title for the third time after winning in 2022 and 2024. And with only two ascents of the climb, she has a massive chance.
Paula Blasi, Amstel’s solo winner, offers an attacking threat. Dominika Włodarczyk and Franziska Koch finished eighth and 10th at Worlds. Noemi Rüegg was fifth at Amstel, while Lauren Dickson supplied mountain support at the Giro. Cédrine Kerbaol can exploit the descent.
Time trial: Reusser sets the standard
Wednesday’s time trial starts at 14:30 CEST on 7 October. The race uses the same circuit, covering 22.1km with 367m of climbing. Riders must pace Možjanca to keep producing power over the rolling roads, then descend precisely before aerodynamic efficiency counts over seven flat kilometres.
Reusser is head and shoulders (other shampoos are available) above her short list of rivals at the race after she retained her world title by 40.11 seconds over 39.2km and won the Tour’s 21km time trial. Slovenia’s shorter, hillier test demands different pacing, but she remains the clear favourite.
Longo Borghini is likely to be her closest rival and the climb could help her close the 50-second deficit she had at Worlds, where she finished fourth. Juliette Berthet, sixth at last year’s Europeans, benefits from the climbing, although she lost almost three minutes at Worlds, despite putting out excellent power numbers. Monica Trinca Colonel, second overall at the UAE Tour, has climbing credentials and was part of the victorious Italian team in the mixed relay at Worlds.
Kerbaol’s Worlds fifth and descending skill make her a dangerous outsider. Dickson brings mountain-race endurance, while Mireia Benito faces a substantial step up from 20th at Worlds.
