# 2016 European Road Championships

The 2016 European Road Cycling Championships was the 22nd running of the European Road Cycling Championships, that took place over 14–18 September 2016 in Plumelec, France. The event consisted of a total of 5 road races and 5 time trials, regulated by the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC). The 2016 championships were the first to be run with elite events for riders over 23 years of age, although the women's under-23 events were combined with the women's elite events.

## Relocation of the championships

Initially the championships were planned to be held in Nice, France. However, on 5 August, three weeks after the Bastille Day terrorist attack there, mayor Philippe Pradal cancelled their hosting of the event, stating that the championships would require a large police presence which had not yet been guaranteed to him. The Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC) further explained that the "huge security presence" could not be guaranteed in Nice due to "the significant constraints".
The European Cycling Union received several new applications: from Yorkshire in the United Kingdom, Trentino and the Marche region in Italy and the French application of the Plumelec-Morbihan department within the French Brittany region. On 13 August, it was announced that the championships would be held in Plumelec-Morbihan.

## Schedule
### Individual time trial

| Date | Time | Event | Distance |
| Wednesday 14 September | 09:30 | Women's junior | 12.7 km (7.9 mi) |
| Wednesday 14 September | 12:00 | Men's under-23 | 24.5 km (15.2 mi) |
| Wednesday 14 September | 14:00 | Men's juniors | 25.5 km (15.8 mi) |
| Thursday 15 September | 10:30 | Women's elite & under-23 | 25.4 km (15.8 mi) |
| Thursday 15 September | 14:00 | Men's elite | 45.5 km (28.3 mi) |

### Road race

| Date | Time | Event | Distance | Laps |
| Friday 16 September | 10:00 | Women's junior | 68.5 km (42.6 mi) | 5 |
| Friday 16 September | 13:30 | Men's juniors | 123.3 km (76.6 mi) | 9 |
| Saturday 17 September | 09:00 | Men's under-23 | 150.7 km (93.6 mi) | 11 |
| Saturday 17 September | 14:00 | Women's elite & under-23 | 109.6 km (68.1 mi) | 8 |
| Sunday 18 September | 10:30 | Men's elite | 232.9 km (144.7 mi) | 17 |

## Courses
### Time trial

All the starts were held on the Rue du Canal in Josselin apart from the junior women, who started on the Place de l'église in Plumelec. All event finishes were at the top of the Côte de Cadoudal, a 1.8 km (1.1 mi), 7.8% average gradient hill in Plumelec. The elite women, men's under-23 and men's junior races were held over the same course.

### Road race

All road races took place on a 13.7 km (8.5 mi) circuit, that were completed a varying number of times. All events started and finished at the top of the Côte de Cadoudal, a 1.8 km (1.1 mi), 7.8% average gradient hill in Plumelec. The circuit was the same as the one held for the Grand Prix de Plumelec.

## Events summary

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| Men's Elite Events |||||||
| Road race details | Peter Sagan (SVK) | 5h 34' 23" | Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) | s.t. | Daniel Moreno (ESP) | s.t. |
| Time trial details | Jonathan Castroviejo (ESP) | 58' 13.99" | Victor Campenaerts (BEL) | + 29.44" | Moreno Moser (ITA) | + 34.31" |
| Women's Elite Events |||||||
| Road race details | Anna van der Breggen (NED) | 2h 55' 55" | Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) | s.t. | Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) | s.t. |
| Time trial details | Ellen van Dijk (NED) | 36' 41.07" | Anna van der Breggen (NED) | + 18.40" | Olga Zabelinskaya (RUS) | + 23.39" |
| Men's Under-23 Events |||||||
| Road race details | Alexandr Riabushenko (BLR) | 3h 32' 43" | Bjorg Lambrecht (BEL) | s.t. | Andrea Vendrame (ITA) | s.t. |
| Time trial details | Lennard Kämna (DEU) | 33' 59.87" | Filippo Ganna (ITA) | + 29.71" | Rémi Cavagna (FRA) | + 34.31" |
| Women's Under-23 Events |||||||
| Road race details | Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) | 2h 55' 55" | Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (DNK) | + 12" | Séverine Eraud (FRA) | + 12" |
| Time trial details | Anastasiia Iakovenko (RUS) | 39' 35.87" | Ksenyia Tuhai (BLR) | + 9.62" | Lisa Klein (DEU) | + 11.61" |
| Men's Junior Events |||||||
| Road race | Nicolas Malle (FRA) | 3h 03' 49" | Emilien Jeannière (FRA) | s.t. | Tadej Pogačar (SLO) | s.t. |
| Time trial | Alexys Brunel (FRA) | 35' 58.76" | Marc Hirschi (SUI) | + 10.78" | Iver Knotten (NOR) | + 11.02" |
| Women's Junior Events |||||||
| Road race | Liane Lippert (DEU) | 1h 54' 14" | Elisa Balsamo (ITA) | + 4" | Sophie Wright (GBR) | + 4" |
| Time trial | Lisa Morzenti (ITA) | 19' 02.04" | Alessia Vigilia (ITA) | + 14.62" | Juliette Labous (FRA) | + 22.54" |

## Medal table

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | France (FRA) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | Netherlands (NED) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Germany (DEU) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Italy (ITA) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 5 | Belarus (BLR) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Poland (POL) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Russia (RUS) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | Spain (ESP) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Slovakia (SVK) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | Denmark (DNK) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Switzerland (SUI) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | Norway (NOR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | Slovenia (SLO) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (15 entries) | Totals (15 entries) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 36 |

## Broadcasting

* Belgium: Eén
* Denmark: TV2 Sport
* France: France 3, Eurosport France
* Norway: NRK2, NRK2, NRK1
* Europe (54 countries): Eurosport International, Eurosport Player
* United Kingdom: Eurosport UK
* Asia (17 countries): Eurosport Asia
* Netherlands: NPO 1