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.

The European Road Cycling Championships are the set of European championship events for the various disciplines and distances in road cycling and have been regulated by the European Cycling Union since 1995. The championships are for under-23, junior and Elite riders. The championships include a road race and an individual time trial since 1997, with women's events shorter than men's and junior's events shorter than under-23's. Championships are open to riders selected by their national cycling governing body. They compete in the colours of their country. As with national road race championships and the UCI Road World Championships, the winners are entitled to wear a special champion's jersey when racing throughout the year; in the case of the European Championship, a white jersey with blue bands and yellow stars, modelled on the flag of Europe, a symbolism and design adopted by both the Council of Europe and the European Union and widely used to represent the continent in sport.