Results European Championships 2026 Elite Women's Time Trial | Marlen Reusser beats Demi Vollering to record fifth European title
Cycling
Marlen Reusser has won the elite women's time trial at the 2026 European Championships, beating Demi Vollering by 23 seconds in Slovenia to claim a record fifth continental title against the clock.
The Swiss world champion took control from the opening checkpoint and never allowed Vollering back into the contest, completing the 21.8-kilometre course in 31:30.840.
Vollering finished 23.33 seconds behind in second, while Juliette Berthet secured bronze at 1:09.257. Elisa Longo Borghini narrowly missed the podium in fourth, just over seven seconds behind the Frenchwoman.
Reusser's fifth European time trial title moves her clear as the most successful rider in the history of the elite women's event, surpassing the four victories previously achieved by Ellen van Dijk.
Before today’s Women Elite Individual Time Trial, rewind to 2025. Marlen Reusser 🇨🇭 was crowned European Champion. #EuroRoad26 https://t.co/rVc7IIeEIR
— UEC Cycling (@UEC_cycling) October 7, 2026
Reusser takes control immediately
Much of the pre-race intrigue centred on whether the climbing-heavy Slovenian course could bring Vollering close enough to challenge Reusser.
The Dutchwoman arrived with enormous momentum after winning both the World Championship and European Championship road races, while the repeated climbing offered her a more favourable test than a conventional flat time trial.
Reusser nevertheless established the gap almost immediately. At the first intermediate checkpoint after eight kilometres, she was already 11.27 seconds faster than Vollering. The rest of the field had fallen much further away, with Longo Borghini 54.74 seconds down and nobody else within a minute of the Swiss rider.
Reusser then strengthened her grip through the middle part of the course. By 16.3 kilometres, her advantage over Vollering had grown to 20.96 seconds, with Berthet moving into third at 1:09.26 and Longo Borghini slipping just behind her.
There was no late reversal. Reusser added another couple of seconds over the final kilometres to finish 23.33 seconds clear and turn what had been billed as a potentially close battle with Vollering into a convincing fifth European title.
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Berthet wins the fight for bronze
Behind the two favourites, the closest contest was for the final medal. Berthet had trailed Longo Borghini at the opening split but moved ahead by the second checkpoint, carrying that advantage through to the finish.
Her time of 32:40.097 ultimately proved enough for bronze by 7.41 seconds, with Longo Borghini settling for fourth ahead of Dominika Wlodarczyk. For Vollering, silver ends her chance of adding another European title to the road crown she had already won in Slovenia.
Reusser, meanwhile, leaves the championships with another major milestone. After taking control within the first eight kilometres, she never surrendered it, extending her advantage at every checkpoint before crossing the line as European champion for a record fifth time.
| Rnk | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | REUSSER Marlen | Switzerland | 31:30,84 |
| 2 | VOLLERING Demi | Netherlands | 0:23,33 |
| 3 | BERTHET Juliette | France | 1:10,13 |
| 4 | LONGO BORGHINI Elisa | Italy | 1:16,67 |
| 5 | WŁODARCZYK Dominika | Poland | 1:30,79 |
| 6 | KERBAOL Cédrine | France | 1:59,95 |
| 7 | TAS Sandrine | Belgium | 2:01,87 |
| 8 | DICKSON Lauren | Great Britain | 2:22,69 |
| 9 | CLAES Lotte | Belgium | 2:37,26 |
| 10 | NOOIJEN Lieke | Netherlands | 2:40,00 |
| 11 | KOCH Franziska | Germany | 2:57,28 |
| 12 | BIRIUKOVA Yuliia | Ukraine | 3:19,26 |
| 13 | BERTON Nina | Luxembourg | 3:36,59 |
| 14 | VIGILIA Alessia | Italy | 3:53,79 |
| 15 | HÄBERLIN Steffi | Switzerland | 3:56,78 |
| 16 | SCHREIBER Marie | Luxembourg | 4:14,73 |
| 17 | BOBNAR Nika | Slovenia | 4:34,63 |
| 18 | GIACHOU Eleftheria | Greece | 4:50,83 |
| 19 | ABRAMENKA Alina | Belarus | 6:34,80 |
| 20 | STOYANOVA Gergana | Bulgaria | 7:05,83 |
| 21 | FASOI Varvara | Greece | 7:09,47 |
| 22 | GUNNARSDÓTTIR Bríet Kristý | Iceland | 7:21,31 |
| 23 | ROXO Beatriz | Portugal | 7:59,03 |
| 24 | PEROVIĆ Anja | Montenegro | 16:33,12 |
Carlos Silva is a writer for CyclingUpToDate.com, where he contributes race reports, interviews, analysis pieces, and live coverage of the international cycling calendar. Holding a degree in Sports from the Jean Piaget Institute, he combines academic knowledge of performance, training, and competition with hands-on journalism experience in professional cycling.
Throughout his career, Carlos has conducted interviews with leading figures in the sport, including Alberto Contador, Joaquim Rodríguez, Óscar Pereiro, João Almeida, Isaac del Toro, Derek Gee, John Degenkolb and Geraint Thomas. These conversations reflect direct engagement with Grand Tour winners, Classics specialists, and emerging talents.
He has provided on-site coverage at major events ranging from the Vuelta a España to the Tour de France, alongside stage races such as Vuelta a Andalucía, Volta ao Algarve, Volta a Portugal and O Gran Camiño. Covering the mythical climbs of the Giro d'Italia remains one of his professional ambitions.
Carlos is responsible for liveblog coverage of all major WorldTour races and beyond, including the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. His reporting integrates verified data from ProCyclingStats to ensure statistical accuracy, contextual depth, and analytical precision.
A lifelong cycling enthusiast, he approaches storytelling across written, photographic, and video formats with a focus on credibility, tactical insight, and informed race interpretation.
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