The firmament will shine brighter than ever this week in the French departments of Drôme and Ardèche during the 2025 European Championships, which, unlike recent years, are set up as a showdown for climbers, bringing together major stars of the Giro d’Italia and the Grand Tours.

Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia), barely seven days after producing a new masterpiece in Rwanda with his 104 km prodigious breakaway (66 solo) to take his second consecutive world title, will showcase in France the rainbow jersey that he will wear again at Il Lombardia on Saturday, 11 October, facing the two athletes who have followed him most closely in Grand Tours: Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark), second in the Tour de France, and Remco Evenepoel (Belgium), with the latter inflicting such a heavy defeat on the Slovenian in the Kigali time trial before himself being beaten in the road race.

The 202.5 km course, with up to six climbs of the Val d’Enfer ‘wall’ (1600m at 10%), will also welcome other protagonists from Rwanda and the Giro, such as Juan Ayuso (Spain), the one who came closest at first to neutralizing Pogi’s move on Mont Kigali. The start list will be stellar, with Joao Almeida (Portugal), Christian Scaroni (Italy), Mattias Skjelmose (Denmark) as well as locals Julian Alaphilippe, Paul Seixas and Valentin Paret-Peintre.

Four days earlier, this Wednesday, October 1, the time trials will be contested over 24 km – with an uphill finish in Étoile-sur-Rhône – with Evenepoel as the big favorite and strong challengers in Filippo Ganna (Italy); the winner of the TUDOR ITT in Pisa, Daan Hoole (Netherlands); Ethan Hayter, Josh Tarling (Great Britain) and Stefan Küng (Switzerland).

Wednesday, 1 October

09:30 – Junior women’s individual time trial (12.2 km)
10:45 – Junior men’s individual time trial (24 km)
12:00 – U23 women’s individual time trial (24 km)
12:45 – U23 men’s individual time trial (24 km)
14:20 – Elite women’s individual time trial (24 km)
15:45 – Elite men’s individual time trial (24 km)

Thursday, 2 October

11:00 – Junior mixed relay (40 km)
14:30 – Elite mixed relay (40 km)

Friday, 3 October

09:00 – U23 women’s road race (85.7 km)
12:40 – Junior women’s road race (62.9 km)
15:35 – Junior men’s road race (103.4 km)

Saturday, 4 October

09:00 – U23 men’s road race (121.1 km)
14:00 – Elite women’s road race (116.1 km)

Sunday, 5 October

11:45 – Elite men’s road race (202.5 km)