Why All Eyes Are on Slovenia’s Roads This October

From 2 to 7 October, Slovenia will host the 2026 UEC European Road Championships, the biggest cycling event ever staged in the country. Races will unfold across twelve municipalities, bringing some of Europe’s leading riders onto Slovenian roads and placing the country at the centre of the European cycling calendar.

Yet Slovenia's cycling story extends well beyond the race itself. The country has become closely associated with world-class cycling through the achievements of riders including Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič, both ambassadors of Slovenian tourism. At the same time, cycling is increasingly becoming a way for visitors to experience Slovenia at a very different pace.

Skip carousel

Stay beyond the race

For visitors coming to Slovenia for the championships, the race can also be the starting point for a wider journey. Just 48 extra hours open up a surprising range of experiences within easy reach of the course – from Michelin-starred dining, historic towns and castles to galleries, Alpine landscapes and outdoor adventures.

The championship routes themselves pass through twelve municipalities in central Slovenia and Gorenjska, including Ljubljana, Šenčur, Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Kamnik, Kranj and Škofja Loka. Step beyond the course and autumn brings another side of Slovenia into focus: seasonal cuisine, local producers, cultural heritage and landscapes where hiking, mountain biking and other outdoor experiences are all close at hand.

For those inspired to stay a little longer, the message is simple: come for the race, stay for the ride – and discover just how much of Slovenia can fit into 48 extra hours.

Ride where Slovenia’s champions ride

The championships also offer a reason to look beyond the professional peloton and towards the roads that have shaped Slovenia’s own cycling champions.

There is Krvavec, Tadej Pogačar’s favourite climb and the place where he claimed his first victory as a young rider in 2009. Rogla has its own connection with Primož Roglič, who repeatedly raced – and won – the recreational Skok na Roglo before turning professional. Elsewhere, Jakob Omrzel honed his climbing skills on Trška Gora above Novo mesto, Urška Žigart knows the roads of Pohorje from her home region, Matej Mohorič trains around Kranj, Šenčur, Škofja Loka and Preddvor, while the demanding roads around Idrija are closely connected with Jan Tratnik.

From racing against the clock to taking time to stop

That contrast lies at the heart of Pause and Feel Slovenia, a new promotional activation launched by the Slovenian Tourist Board to coincide with the championships.

On the racecourse, every second counts. Beyond it, the idea is almost the opposite: slow down, listen and notice what is around you. The sounds of water and forests, the hum of tyres on the road, local food, towns and landscapes become part of the journey. The campaign connects the excitement of elite sport with Slovenia's wider appeal as a green, active, cultural and gastronomic destination.

It is a message that international cycling audiences are already discovering.

Two riders from Global Cycling Network (GCN) recently bikepacked across Slovenia for a new short documentary, travelling from the Karst and Ljubljana through the Soča Valley and Julian Alps to Bohinj and Bled. Their route combined demanding climbs and new cycling infrastructure with railway heritage, mountain villages, local food and opportunities to recover and recharge along the way.

GCN's wider network reaches more than 40.1 million cycling enthusiasts, while the Slovenia video generated more than 300,000 views across different channels in less than 24 hours.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by GCN - Global Cycling Network (@globalcyclingnetwork)

A cycling nation – on screen and on the road

Elite racing has also become a powerful international showcase for the country itself. The Tour of Slovenia has attracted a cumulative audience of 77.5 million viewers on Eurosport over the years. This year's race alone generated more than ten hours of live Eurosport coverage watched by 6.5 million viewers, while cycling-related promotion has also placed Slovenia alongside broadcasts of the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España.

But some of Slovenia's most interesting cycling stories are happening far from professional racing.

At the 2026 European Cultural Tourism Network Awards, Štrekna, a former railway line transformed into a modern cycle route, took second place in the Active, Slow and Accessible Cultural Tourism category. The Drava Bike came third, giving Slovenia two of the three top places in the category.

Cycling is even finding its way into business travel. At Meet, Sleep & Cycle in the Julian Alps, 21 international hosted buyers and 16 Slovenian meetings-industry suppliers combined business meetings with cycling, gastronomy and outdoor experiences – replacing part of the conventional meeting-room format with time together on two wheels.

Taken together, these stories reveal why Slovenia's current cycling moment is about much more than sporting success. Professional racing may be bringing the world's attention to Slovenian roads, but the increasingly interesting story for travellers is what happens when the stopwatch is switched off.

Back to news