Take2 weeks ago
Evenepoel favourite as Pogačar sits out, Seixas skips Euros
Remco Evenepoel starts the 2026 European Road Championships road race as the clear favourite, on the one major title still missing from his palmarès. Defending champion Tadej Pogačar is out for the season after his Vuelta a España crash, and bronze medallist Paul Seixas has chosen to skip the race to focus on Il Lombardia a week later. Evenepoel's two closest rivals from last year's podium are both absent.
What this means
Pogačar's season is over after his Vuelta a España crash, and he has called it not the way he wanted his season to finish. Seixas has committed his build-up to Il Lombardia instead of the Europeans.
At the 2025 European Road Championships, Pogačar won with a solo attack, finishing ahead of Evenepoel and Seixas. A year on, Pogačar is recovering from a complex fracture of his left collarbone, a stable C7 cervical fracture and a concussion from his Stage 8 crash at the Vuelta a España, which required surgery in Barcelona. Seixas' decision to target Il Lombardia instead was made before Pogačar's withdrawal, according to French national coach Thomas Voeckler, who said Seixas wants to prepare for that race "as well as possible". Evenepoel has won the 2025 European elite men's time trial but has never won the elite men's road race at the European Championships, and now faces the field without the two riders who beat him to the podium last year. He has said the title is one he has "thought of... immediately" as missing from his collection.
Sources
LIVE European Championship Men Road RacePaul Seixas makes major race schedule change ahead of Il Lombardia2026 European Road ChampionshipsTadej Pogačar out of hospital after Vuelta a España crash and injuries but questions remain regarding World Championships2025 European Road Championships – Men's time trialflobikes.comThe full schedule for the 2026 UEC European Road Championships
Analysed 7 sources, written and summarised with AI · How we work