The road season barely paused. Rwanda’s World Championships wrapped up with the streets still buzzing, rainbow jerseys freshly handed out, and before riders even had a chance to catch their breath—the Europeans are here. France hosts, Loriol-sur-Drôme sets the stage, and on Wednesday, we’ll see the first jerseys of this year’s European Championships handed out in the discipline that’s always brutally honest: the time trial.
Some of the big names from Rwanda aren’t done yet. The rainbow jersey itself, Remco Evenepoel, lines up again, looking to add yet another line to a résumé that’s already ridiculous for someone his age. And he’s not the only star—France wants to make noise on home soil, the Swiss are back with their double-Stefan combo, and the Dutch bring a couple of dark horses worth talking about.
A Short History Lesson
The European Championships are relatively young, at least in elite terms. They existed since 1995, but for years it was more of a development thing. U23s got their shot, juniors joined in 2005, but the big guns only had their crack starting in 2016. That feels like yesterday, and yet the list of winners already reads like a roll call of modern time trial specialists.
The TT itself kicked off in 1997 but stayed under the youth umbrella until 2016. Since then, it’s been a magnet for big riders looking to bag a jersey that, while not rainbow-level prestigious, carries weight. And it matters—teams respect it, fans notice it, and riders don’t exactly hide the fact that they want those stars and stripes swapped for stars and dark blue.
Look at the past few years in the men’s race:
- 2024: Edoardo Affini finally got his big moment.
- 2023: Joshua Tarling—still a teenager—bulldozed everyone.
- 2022: Stefan Bissegger, aero monster.
- 2021 & 2020: Stefan Küng, Swiss consistency at its peak.
- 2019: Remco Evenepoel, already rewriting Belgian history books.
- 2018 & 2017: Victor Campenaerts, another Belgian TT purist.
- 2016: Jonathan Castroviejo, the Spanish diesel.
That list alone tells you the race has teeth.
And it’s not just the men. The Dutch have owned the women’s side—Ellen van Dijk’s four in a row turned it into her playground, and Anna van der Breggen added her name to the roll. Winning this thing has meant something, and it still does.
The 2025 Course: Rolling, Open, and Windy
Loriol-sur-Drôme doesn’t scream cycling capital—it’s a quiet French town with about 7,000 people. But for one day, it’ll be the center of the time trial world. Both men and women tackle the same 24-kilometer course. Short by pro standards, which means mistakes are magnified.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Start: Riders head east. Road kicks gently uphill, nothing insane, but enough to sting if you overcook it early.
- Grane (8 km in): A left turn, heading north. This is where rhythm matters.
- Allex: A kicker—400 meters at 6.6%. Not long, but steep enough to punch you out of the aero bars. Whoever handles that transition best might shave real time.
- Final run to Étoile-sur-Rhône: Wide, straight roads. Aero bikes at full throttle. One last uphill drag—1 km at 5.2%—before the line. That’s sneaky hard. If you’re running on fumes, it’ll show.
No Rwandan-style walls here, but don’t call it flat. It’s one of those courses that doesn’t let you hide.
Weather Check
It’s late September in France—beautiful, but tricky. Forecast says around 19°C, so pretty ideal temperature-wise. The problem? The wind. Coming from the north, strong enough to matter. And since the race heads north for a good stretch, that’s a headwind most of the way.
Translation: the pure diesel riders, the ones who can lock into a rhythm against resistance, will be grinning. Smaller guys who rely on cadence over raw torque might find it brutal. Aero setups will be crucial. Expect some riders to gamble on gear ratios to squeeze watts out of every pedal stroke.
UEC 2025 ITT Odds
| Rider | Odds |
|---|---|
| Remco Evenepoel | 1.90 |
| Filippo Ganna | 2.50 |
| Joshua Tarling | 7.00 |
| Ethan Hayter | 10.00 |
| Mads Pedersen | 21.00 |
| Stefan Küng | 50.00 |
| Mathias Vacek | 80.00 |
| Stefan Bissegger | 110.00 |
| Alec Segaert | 190.00 |
| Daan Hoole | 190.00 |
| Lorenzo Milesi | 190.00 |
| João Almeida | 210.00 |
| Bruno Armirail | 290.00 |
Schedule
Women kick it off:
Start: 12:10 PM local (06:10 AM EDT)
Finish: 1:40 PM local (07:40 AM EDT)
Men follow later:
Start: 3:45 PM local (09:45 AM EDT)
Finish: 5:00 PM local (11:00 AM EDT)
Not a long day of racing, but a packed one. Blink and you’ll miss someone dropping into the hot seat.
The Favorites: Men’s Race
The start list isn’t final yet, but we already know enough to talk contenders.
The Clear #1
Remco Evenepoel. There’s no way around it. He just smashed the World Championships in Rwanda—his third straight rainbow jersey—and he did it in dominant fashion. Catching Tadej Pogačar (who started 2:30 ahead) was almost disrespectful. He’s on form, motivated, and Belgium loves the European TT. If he doesn’t win, it’ll be a shock.
The Home Squad
France always brings flair. This year it’s Bruno Armirail (Visma’s big new engine) and Rémi Cavagna, who still has that “TGV of Clermont-Ferrand” tag for a reason. On home roads, with crowds on their side, either could podium if the legs line up.
The Swiss Block
Double-Stefan action again: Stefan Küng and Stefan Bissegger. Küng’s consistency is legendary, but he didn’t quite have it in Rwanda. Bissegger is always a wildcard—some days he’s untouchable, others he looks flat. Both are dangerous here, especially with the power required for those headwind sections.
The British Wave
Britain’s pipeline keeps producing. Joshua Tarling is the obvious one—European champion in 2023 at just 19, and already one of the best pure specialists in the peloton. Ethan Hayter joins too, though he’s more versatile. Tarling, though, could easily fight Evenepoel for gold.
Italy & Portugal
Filippo Ganna skipped Rwanda, but don’t forget about him. Shorter TT than he might like, but his raw wattage is scary. If he’s fresh, he’s podium material minimum.
Portugal lines up Nelson Oliveira and João Almeida. Almeida’s an outsider for sure, but don’t underestimate his pacing smarts—he can limit losses and might surprise.
Denmark’s Wild Card
Mads Pedersen. Not the obvious TT guy, but he said it himself: “my only chance.” Pedersen has that bulldog mentality. He’ll suffer through it, and if conditions get ugly, his grit might push him higher than expected.
Belgium’s Extra Ammo
Evenepoel is the main gun, but don’t ignore Alec Segaert. Still young, crazy powerful, and hungry. Belgium could realistically have two riders on the podium.
The Dutch Outsiders
Coach Koos Moerenhout brought a fun mix: Daan Hoole—who shocked everyone with his Giro ITT win this year—and Dylan van Baarle, the Dutch champion in 2018. Van Baarle’s not a pure TT guy anymore, but on a rolling course like this, with a kick at the end, he’s the definition of a dangerous outsider.
What to Expect
This isn’t going to be a tactical chess match—it’s man against clock. The course is short, the wind is real, and mistakes will be punished brutally. Expect gaps. Not Rwanda-style gaps, but enough that we’ll clearly separate the big engines from the rest.
My gut? Remco wins, Tarling pushes him closer than people think, and Ganna or Küng scrapes into the medals. France could surprise, though—Cavagna loves a home crowd. And watch Hoole. He’s raw, but sometimes that makes riders fearless.
Either way, by Wednesday evening, someone’s going to be pulling on that dark blue jersey, and it won’t be by accident.