Road European Championships - Riders to watch in the elite women's road race

A week after the biggest names in women’s road racing marked and controlled each out of contention at the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda, many of them will look for revenge and amends at the UEC Road European Championships in France.

New world champion Magdeleine Vallieres of Canada will obviously not be in action but Demi Vollering (Netherlands), Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy), and Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland) are all determined to fight back after a frustrating and disappointing race in Rwanda.

Many of the biggest riders admitted they marked each other and let the rainbow jersey escape their grasp, fearing the altitude and the difficulty of the Kigali course. A lack of race radios and riding for national teams also changed the complexion of the race and Vallieres' aggressive performance and victory was a lesson for the stars of the women’s peloton.

The 116km European Championship race is hilly but not as extreme as Kigali. It should produce a finely balanced, more open race.

The elite men’s and elite women’s road races start in Privas and then ride north, covering two different circuits, with the finish in Guilherand Granges, near Valence and overlooking the Rhone valley in southwestern France.

The women climb the Montée de Costebelle on the Guilherand Granges circuit once, then the far more testing 6.6km, 7.8% Saint-Romain-des-Lerps climb, before a final climb over the Montée de Costebelle. The riders pass through the finish four times before the winner takes the special white jersey with blue bands and yellow stars.

2204 winner Lorena Wiebes is not defending her 2024 win due to the testing nature of the course.

Considering the race route and the World Championships, these are the Cyclingnews contenders for the elite women’s UEC European Championships.

Our dark horses and outsiders include Cédrine Kerbaol (France), Anna Kiesenhofer (Austria), Anna Henderson (Great Britain) and Urška Žigart (Slovenia).

Demi Vollering (Netherlands)

Demi Vollering was the best of the big-name women in Rwanda and her seventh place and third in the time trial perhaps earned her a clear leadership role for the European Championships.

She will surely not let the race go up the road and out of her control for a second time.

Teammate Anna van der Breggen was second in the time trial but was dropped early in Rwanda and finished 11 minutes down. She is part of the Netherlands team for Saturday’s road race, along with Femke de Vries, Shirin van Anrooij and Pauliena Rooijakkers. If they race united, the Netherlands will have an impact on the race.

Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy)

Elisa Longo Borghini was very critical of her own performance rather than the tactical games that left her empty handed in Rwanda and is no doubt plotting revenge on Saturday.

Longo Borghini won the Giro d’Italia Women for a second time in June but then had to abandon the Tour de France Femmes before stage 3. True to character she worked hard to recover and rebuild her form and appears near her best.

The squadra azzurra will again back ‘ELB’, with Elena Cecchini, Vittoria Guazzini, Silvia Persico and Barbara Malcotti, who went on the attack in Rwanda, on the entry list.

Marlen Reusser (Switzerland)

Reusser endured a terrible 2024 season but appears back to her best and happy after racing a full season with new team Movistar in 2025.

She added a fourth European time trial title to her world title on Wednesday and so seems to have overcome the complex travel from Africa to France and is clearly on form.

Reusser is a true rouleur and can climb, so Saturday’s hilly course is suited to her and her Swiss team. Her victories at the Tour de Suisse and second places at the Vuelta España Femenina and the Giro have reiterated that Reusser is far more than a time trialist.

Elise Chabbey and Noemi Rüegg are other cards for the Suisse team to play, but watch for Reusser using her power and time trial prowess to try to make a strong attack.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Poland)

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney was frustrated and tired after finishing tenth in the world championships, the words ‘it sucks’ repeated several times in the mixed zone.

She excels at fighting back from defeat and fighting on in search of success and pèroved her determination by the way she won the Tour de France Femmes in 2024 and has finished on the Tour podium four times.

Niewiadoma-Phinney lacks the support of a major national team but is clearly on form, despite a long hard season.

Mavi García (Spain)

Mavi García is a fighter, who has overcome many battles to succeed time and time again. She did it again to take the bronze medal in Rwanda and there’s no reason she can't succeed again in France on Saturday.

Age is just a number for the Spaniard and she excels in challenging one-day races. Watch for her to again race out front and instigate key breakaways before racing hard in the final kilometres.

If the so-called super stars of women’s cycling again look at each other and hesitate after the climbs, García could take off yet again. She was the best European rider in Rwanda and so a real threat in the European Championships.