Remco Evenepoel won the European road cycling championship on Sunday in a photo finish over Italy’s Giulio Ciccone in Šenčur, Slovenia. The Belgian, a 2024 Olympic road race gold medalist, edged Ciccone after a 196-kilometer race, with Christian Scaroni of Italy finishing third, 59 seconds behind.
Evenepoel, the pre-race favorite, launched a decisive attack with 36 kilometers remaining in the Alpine setting. Ciccone followed, but Evenepoel crashed on a corner before catching back up. The pair remained neck and neck until the final meters, requiring a photo finish to confirm Evenepoel’s victory.
“It’s incredible,” Evenepoel said. “I thought I had won, but you can never be sure. This performance was honestly really tough for me after the disappointment of the worlds. It’s a big relief to be back on a good level today and to complete my championship jerseys, so it feels amazing.”
The race took place without defending champion Tadej Pogačar, who was sidelined by injury, though he appeared briefly from a car window to cheer on fans in his home country. Evenepoel, who finished second in the continental race in 2021 and 2025, secured his first European road race title after previous successes in time trials and global competitions .
