Can anyone challenge world champion Marlen Reusser? – European Championship elite women's time trial contenders

The European Championships have only included elite races since 2016, and in those 10 editions just four riders have held the women's time trial title, with Ellen van Dijk, Marlen Reusser, Anna van der Breggen and Lotte Kopecky all tasting success. Will there be a new name in 2026? Or will Marlen Reusser set a new record of five titles, to go with her second world title won in Montreal two weeks ago?

This year’s race starts and finishes in the central Slovenian town of Šenčur, and whoever takes the title this year will need to overcome a challenging 22.1km course which includes almost 400m of vertical ascent, almost all of which comes in the first half of the race.

The main challenge comes in the form of the climb to Možjanca, which averages 10.2% gradient over its 2km and tops out a third of the way through the course. Though there are steeper ramps at the top, it’s a fairly steady gradient which will suit the TT specialists who can set a strong rhythm.

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While there are narrow sections and some turns, it is not a technical route, though there is a tight hairpin turn on the descent where the road surface appears fairly poor, so riders will need to be concentrated to get through that unscathed. After that, the final kilometres are almost entirely flat, and while it’s a different type of course, it’s hard to look past those who performed well at the Montreal World Championships. Here are our contenders for the stars and stripes skinsuit.

Marlen Reusser (Switzerland)

After her dominant ride at the World Championships in Montreal, Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser will start as the outright favourite for another title. While her palmarès indicates she is far more than a pure time trial specialist, she is currently the most accomplished woman against the clock and bang in form, finishing third in the Euros road race over the weekend.

What’s more, the course suits her, though others may be better than her on the early steep climb, once over that, expect the Swiss superstar to build her advantage.

The one note of caution is her performance on the mountain time trial of this year’s Giro d’Italia Women when she finished well behind winner, Anna van der Breggen, though the Dutchwoman is absent from this year's European Championships.

Maybe another motivation for Reusser is her place in history. Should she take a fifth title on Wednesday, she will hold the record for European titles, surpassing Ellen van Dijk’s four victories, which she equalled last year.

Demi Vollering (Netherlands)

Winning the Euros road race on Saturday, Demi Vollering might be the best all-round rider in the women’s peloton at the moment, but she’s not won a time trial since the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and only managed eighth place in the recent World Championships.

The Slovenian course suits her more than that in Canada, though, the steep, early climb will almost certainly allow her to gain time on all her rivals, though she will then need to hold on to her advantage for the rest of the course.

She might not be a regular winner against the clock, but she is almost always there or thereabouts and clearly in form right now, winning both Worlds and Europeans road races. Combine that ability with a course which suits her and a voracious appetite for success, and no one would be surprised if she takes another victory on Wednesday.

Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy)

After finishing just outside the medals in the Montreal individual time trial, Elisa Longo Borghini won the mixed team relay before taking third in the road race, so it’s clear the Italian has struck a rich vein of form.

After missing much of the spring with illness, she has been improving since returning to health, and we should expect her to make the podium on Wednesday. Longo Borghini is arguably a better climber than Reusser, and she’s certainly a better descender, so if she can take time on the Swiss rider on the climb, she should be able to consolidate that on the descent.

However, in contrast to the prolific Reusser, she has only ever won two time trials outside the Italian Championships, the most recent of which was two years ago, 10 years after the other. However, like Vollering she is always there or thereabouts, and a top result is likely.

Cédrine Kerbaol (France)

Fifth in Montreal, Cédrine Kerbaol is another rider in fine form to take on Europeans this week. At 25-years-old she is still improving every year and, as one of the peloton’s preeminent climbers we can expect her to deal with the early gradients well.

Like Longo Borghini, she’s also a brilliant descender, so may well be able to take time on the descent, and her performance in Canada is proof she can deal with the flat run-in well enough to make the podium.

Antonia Niedermaier (Germany)

Though she was only the second-best German rider in the World Championships last week, taking seventh place, just over a minute behind compatriot Franziska Koch, Antonia Niedermaier is by far the better climber of the pair and will be able to gain time in those challenging early kilometres.

She's a class act, the heir to the Canyon-SRAM GC mantle after the departure of Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, so well able to deal with the rest of the course.

The 23-year-old took fourth place in the Giro d’Italia’s mountain time trial in May, just 15 seconds behind Reusser, and though this is less challenging terrain than that, Niedermaier can be expected to put in a good performance in Slovenia this week.

Franziska Koch (Germany)

While she may not be the climber her compatriot Niedermaier is, Franziska Koch has proved this year that there is almost nothing she cannot do. Since arriving at FDJ United-Suez she has improved exponentially, and her TT bronze medal in Montreal shows just how good she is against the clock.

While her climbing is much better than before, the day’s ascent will prove a major obstacle to success for Koch, though there is every chance she can make up time on the descent and flatter parts of the course.

Dominika Włodarczyk (Poland)

This year’s Polish time trial champion, Dominika Włodarczyk, is much improved against the clock this season, with her ninth place at the Worlds a best-ever result. Only 25, she has always been good at the discipline, bagging some decent results as a junior, it’s just taken her time to become competitive in the elite ranks.

What’s more, she has established herself as an excellent climber, finishing eighth on the Mont Ventoux stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift this year and finishing seventh overall, so the Možjanca climb will be well within her talents.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney will also race the TT for Poland, and whilst the time trial was once considered one of her weaknesses, she put in a hugely improved ride against the clock at the Tour de France earlier this summer, so don't write her off entirely.

Ones to watch

• Lotte Claes (Belgium) – Put in a decent ride in Montreal but will be hindered by the climb
• Juliette Berthet (France) – Will look to come back from an unusually sub-par performance at Worlds
• Mireia Benito (Spain) – Great against the clock but unlikely to challenge the very best for a medal
• Lauren Dickson (Great Britain) – Sixth on the Giro mountain TT, but still developing as a time trialist

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