ANALYSIS | European Championships, Italian Classics, and Cyclocross – What races are left in 2025?

As the curtain fell on Kigali and the Grand Tours have wrapped, the 2025 cycling story might seem like its over, but it’s not just yet. Some chapters are closing; others still demand their spotlight. From continental honours to autumn one-day battles, and then the return to mud and wheels in cyclocross, the final stretch of the year promises tension, surprise and transitions.

Before the road season truly winds down, attention turns to the 2025 UEC European Road Championships, held October 1–5 in Drôme-Ardèche, France. For riders who missed glory in Kigali or seek redemption, Europe’s jersey is a prize in itself. The men’s elite road race, set at 202.5 km and with over 3,300 m of climbing, is built to fracture the bunch. So once again, Tadej Pogacar will be the overwhelming favourite. But, he will have to get through both Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard to win another title.

For some nations, the European Championships are a last shot at silverware. Others, weary from the World Championships, may play more conservatively. Yet those who do arrive will carry fresh ambition. In a field that likely includes Pogacar, Evenepoel, Ayuso and more, the European race may well resemble a tactical mini-Worlds, but with fewer teammates and more urgency. For defending champion Tim Merlier, the climbing nature of the course will unfortunately not give him a chance to defend his title.

Once continental jerseys are settled, Italy beckons. The autumn classics in Italy, often understated in global media, have long served as the last battlegrounds of the season, where tactical gambits meet fatigue, and where late-season stars can shine. Expect races like Coppa Sabatini, Milano–Torino and Giro dell’Emilia to animate the weeks between Europe’s end and the season finale.

But the jewel in that autumn crown is Il Lombardia, the “Race of the Falling Leaves.” Scheduled for Saturday, October 11, 2025, Il Lombardia will run 238 km from Como to Bergamo and carry about 4,400 meters of climbing. As the final Monument of the year, it carries weight, in particular for Pogacar. The two time world champion has won this race four years in a row, and if he wins this year he will have been on the podium of every monument in 2025. For some riders it’s a chance to make one final mark; for others, to salvage prestige after a disappointing World Championships or Grand Tour. It’s the closing chapter of the road season, a perfect place for one last dramatic move.

Riders who emerge intact from Kigali and Europe, especially those who weren’t deployed as full domestiques, may still have the reserves to attack. Rated climbers, late-break specialists or punchers may use Lombardia’s unforgiving profile to make a statement, especially if favourites come in tired or marked too heavily. But, if Pogacar is anywhere close to the form we have seen all season, he will inevitably attack from distance.

When the road bikes are stowed, the spiky tyres come back out. The 2025–26 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup is waiting, and is already mapped out across 12 rounds in six countries. Where the road is patience, cross is immediacy; where long climbs dominate, cross demands explosiveness, technical handling and repeat jumps. Riders will need to rewire their engines for the cross courses.

Those with cross backgrounds, particularly in Belgium and the Netherlands, will have no rest after the road season. The local circuits (Superprestige, X²O, DVV, etc.) combine with national series to create a dense calendar. And of course, the Cyclo-cross World Championships will beckon as the ultimate winter test, where Mathieu van der Poel will try to win a record eight cyclocross rainbow jersey. But can Thibau Nys or Wout van Aert challenge him more this year?