Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar was missing, but Slovenia still had a home hero to celebrate as Primoz Roglic won the European Championships time-trial title on Wednesday.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic time-trial champion started fast and held off charging challengers to win by 6.59 seconds over Frenchman Bruno Armirail, with compatriot Maxime Decomble finishing third.

Roglic, 36, benefited from the absence of world and Olympic time-trial champion Remco Evenepoel and Italian specialist Filippo Ganna, and was cheered on by home fans on the 22km course in Sencur.

“It’s simply a great feeling. Of course, it’s my victory, but it’s also for all the people along the course and everyone who made it possible for the European Championships to take place in Slovenia,” said Roglic.

With French prodigy Paul Seixas also skipping the Euros to focus on this weekend’s final Monument one-day classic, the Tour of Lombardy, it meant none of the medallists from the world championships just over two weeks ago were on the start line.

World champion Marlen Reusser continued her dominance in the women’s race by winning the European title for the fifth year in a row.

Dutch rider Demi Vollering, who had won the world and European road race titles over the previous 10 days, came second, with Juliette Berthet of France third.