Spain's Héctor Álvarez wins European under-23 cycling road title with solo attack
The 19-year-old Spanish rider attacked twice on the Mozjanca circuit to win the 141.8-kilometer under-23 race in Slovenia, finishing 20 seconds ahead of Poland's Jan Michal Jackowiak.
Solo breakaway on Mozjanca
Héctor Álvarez won the men's under-23 road race at the European Road Championships in Slovenia on 2 October 2026. The 19-year-old Spanish rider, representing the Lidl-Trek development team, completed the 141.8-kilometer route from Ljubljana to Šenčur in 3 hours, 2 minutes, and 22 seconds. The race opened with a 75.5-kilometer flat segment covered at an average speed exceeding 50 kilometers per hour before riders entered a 22.1-kilometer finishing circuit. The circuit centered on the Mozjanca climb, a 2.1-kilometer ascent with an average gradient of 10.2% and maximum ramps reaching 15.8%.
The opening circuit lap reduced the main field to 45 riders. Italian competitor Roberto Capello broke clear to establish a 40-second lead before German rider Max Bock counter-attacked from the peloton to join him. After both riders were caught, Álvarez launched a solo move on the second climb of Mozjanca with 34 kilometers remaining. He established a 20-second lead on the descent and expanded his margin to 39 seconds on the following flat roads.
- Peloton completes flat opening section at over 50 km/h
- Front group shrinks to 45 riders after the first Mozjanca climb
- Héctor Álvarez launches a solo attack on the second ascent of Mozjanca
- Niels Driesen, Jan Michal Jackowiak, and Max Bock catch Álvarez
- Álvarez counter-attacks on the descent to break clear toward the finish
- Álvarez wins the European title in 3:02:22, 20 seconds ahead of Jackowiak
Descent attack and medal podium
On the final ascent of Mozjanca, Belgian rider Niels Driesen, Poland's Jan Michal Jackowiak, and Bock caught Álvarez on the steep gradient. Álvarez countered on the descent with 12.5 kilometers remaining, distancing the trio to ride solo into Šenčur. During the final straight, Álvarez gestured toward a helmet sticker of teammate Mads Pedersen, who had told him to keep it until his first victory, before celebrating the win with his father.
Jackowiak earned the silver medal 20 seconds behind Álvarez, while Driesen took bronze at 32 seconds. The gold medal marked the first podium finish for the Spanish delegation at the championships, which run through 7 October. Álvarez added the continental title to the silver medal in the road race and bronze in the time trial he won at the World Championships in Montreal, where American rider Ashlin Barry won the road title. Among other Spanish finishers in Slovenia, Eñaut Urkaregi placed 17th at 2:08, Javier Cubillas finished 39th at 5:41, and Vicent Zaragoza placed 49th at 5:48.
Women's race results and team development
The women's under-23 road race took place earlier on Friday over an 88-kilometer, four-lap layout in Šenčur. Switzerland's Mara Winter won a four-rider sprint finish to take the gold medal ahead of Nienke Vinke of the Netherlands and Viktória Chladonová of Slovakia. Spain's Paula Ostiz took eighth place at 24 seconds back in the chase group. Spanish teammates Ayala Serrano and Celia Torres finished 26th at 3:06 and 27th at 3:08, Irene Moreno placed 46th at 9:43, while Leyre Almena and Irati Aranguren did not finish. The Royal Spanish Cycling Federation also announced that Paula Blasi will not participate in the elite road race.
The victory was Álvarez's first win of 2026, following a bronze medal at the 2025 European Championships in France. The native of Alfàs del Pi, who turns 20 on 12 December, balances competitive racing with university studies and English coursework. Álvarez is scheduled to step up from the Lidl-Trek development team to its WorldTour roster in January 2027 alongside compatriot Juan Ayuso. The championships continue in Ljubljana with elite road races, supported locally by Slovenian rider Tadej Pogačar during training rides on the course.
