The Road European Championships to be held from 11 to 15 September in Limburg-Flanders (Belgium) will be of a very high standard.
Between Heusden-Zolder and Hasselt, the two cities that will host the starts and finishes of all the events, a total of 14 titles will be awarded over the course of the five days of racing: 6 for the Road races and 6 for the Time Trials in the Juniors, Under 23 and Elite Men's and Women's categories, in addition to the two Mixed Relays, the Mixed Team Time Trial with three Men and three Women per national team, which in addition to the Elites also includes the Juniors event that became a part of the European programme in 2023.
The field will be particularly strong, with 959 riders registered from 37 countries.
Some of the most prominent athletes on the international stage will be taking part in the Elite Road race, including riders who have already won the continental title in the past: defending champion Christophe Laporte (France), Norway's Alexander Kristoff (2017) and Italians Matteo Trentin (2018) and Elia Viviani (2019).
The team of local riders will be at the start with a very interesting line-up: Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen, champion Wout Van Aert, second at the 2023 European Championships and third in 2018.
Other expected protagonists include reigning world champion Mathieu Van der Poel, who will lead the Netherlands, sprinters Pascal Ackermann (Germany), third in 2019 and 2020, Arnaud Demare (France), silver in 2020 and 2022, and Jonathan Milan (Italy), as well as former World Champion Mads Pedersen (Denmark) and Portuguese riders Iuri Leitao and Rui Oliveira, gold medallists in the Madison at the last Olympic Games in Paris.
For the Time Trial, all eyes will be on the Swiss specialists who have won three European titles, Stefan Kueng (2020 and 2021) and Stefan Bisseger (2022), as well as the Belgians Yves Lampaert and Victor Campenaerts.
In the Women's race, reigning European champion Mischa Bredewold from the Netherlands will be up against some top-class opponents, starting with Italy's Chiara Consonni and Vittoria Guazzini, Olympic champions in the Madison, as well as former European champion Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands), Elisa Balsamo (Italy) and Cecile Ludwig (Denmark).
Enrico Della Casa, President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme: ‘The 2024 Road Cycling European Championships could not have a better setting than Limburg-Flanders, a land with a great cycling tradition and a real passion for the sport.
As tradition dictates, great athletes will be taking part in this event, in a setting that promises a spectacle and competition of the highest level.
This region, renowned for its historic link with cycling, will offer a unique experience to the athletes and supporters who will visit the site during the five days of racing, a sign that these Championships represent a global event that will have significant economic and promotional spin-offs for the host region.
I would like to thank the Belgian Cycling Federation, with its President Tom Van Damme, the local author-ities who have welcomed us with enthusiasm and great involvement, and vzw EK Limburg 2024, a real guarantee of success.
Thanks to the collaboration between all the entities involved and their support, there will be full TV coverage, allowing enthusiasts from all over the world to experience the emotions of this event’.
Participating countries: Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and Vatican City.
