European Cycling Championships Will Return to Denmark in 2027: 'An Important Chapter in Our History'

The European Road Cycling Championships are returning to Denmark exactly a decade after the country last staged the continental showcase, with competition scheduled from September 28 until October 3, 2027.

Rumors had circulated for some time before the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC) officially confirmed the venue announcement in a press release on Wednesday. The races will unfold across the exact same geographic footprint as the 2017 edition, utilizing Silkeborg for the time trials and finishing the road races in Herning.

When Herning hosted the event in 2017, it marked only the second iteration of the European Championships as we know them today. That Danish outing saw Marianne Vos claim her only European road title in the women’s event, while Norway’s Alexander Kristoff captured the men’s gold ahead of Italy’s Elia Viviani and the Dutch rider Moreno Hofland. Ellen van Dijk and Victor Campenaerts secured victories in the respective time trials.

A Strategic Return for European Cycling

For the governing body, bringing the peloton back to Denmark was an easy administrative choice. Cycling occupies a unique space in Danish civic life, functioning simultaneously as a primary mode of daily transportation and a source of national identity.

European Cycling Championships Will Return to Denmark in 2027: 'An Important Chapter in Our History'

“We are delighted to return to Denmark after ten years,” said Enrico Della Casa, president of the UEC, in the official press statement. “In 2017, this country hosted the second edition of the European Road Cycling Championships, open to the elite category, and we believed in this project from the very beginning, even though it was still in its infancy at the time.”

Della Casa labeled the selection an obvious choice for the organization’s executive board, pointing to the nation’s focus on youth development, cycling infrastructure, and road safety. He specifically linked the country’s policies to elite international success, citing modern stars like Jonas Vingegaard and Mads Pedersen.

“The decision to choose Denmark was a no-brainer for our executive board. It is a great cycling nation with an extraordinary sporting tradition, one that places special emphasis on young people and safety, and whose organisational capabilities are widely recognised,” the statement reads.

The Continental Calendar Ahead

The 2027 assignment anchors a three-year stretch for the European Championships. Following the Danish competition, the event will shift to the Netherlands in 2028 before moving to Italy, specifically the Abruzzo region, in 2029.

These bookings highlight the appeal of the continental championships.

“These three countries, each with a deep-rooted cycling culture, demonstrate the appeal of our event and allow us to look to the future with great ambition,” Della Casa said. “Ten years ago, Denmark helped write an important chapter in the history of our European Championships, and I am convinced that together we will write an equally memorable chapter in 2027.”

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