UCI Mountain Bike World Championships: Van der Poel and Pidcock lead the high-caliber list of participants

Five years after the last edition, the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships return to Val di Sole, Trentino – and the number of participants suggests a major international event. A total of 777 riders (492 men and 285 women) from 52 countries have registered. From August 26 to 30, 17 rainbow jerseys will be awarded in Daolasa di Commezzadura. France is sending the largest delegation with 53 riders.

The list of participants reads like a world-class field with some of the biggest names in international cycling – most notably Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock. This underlines the high level of competition expected during the week in Val di Sole, Trentino, across the five disciplines: Olympic Cross-Country, Cross-Country Short Track, Cross-Country Team Relay, E-Mountain Bike Cross-Country, and Downhill on the legendary Black Snake course.

The first world championship titles and medals will be awarded on Wednesday, August 26, in the two e-MTB races and the cross-country team relay. The latter is a spectacular event with mixed categories and is traditionally considered the first indicator of the strength and ambitions of the leading endurance teams. The competitions begin on Tuesday, August 25, with the first official training sessions in Daolasa di Commezzadura, followed by the opening ceremony. The national teams will enter the arena through Malé, the capital of Val di Sole, in the presence of Maurizio Fugatti, President of the Autonomous Province of Trento.

CROSS COUNTRY: ALL EYES ON VAN DER POEL AND PIDCOCK

When riders of the caliber of Mathieu van der Poel or Tom Pidcock line up at a mountain bike race, they immediately become favorites. The Dutchman doesn't always find the transition to dirt tracks as effortless as on the road, despite his cross-country and short-track victories in Val di Sole in 2019. His main rival on Sunday, August 30th, could very well be Pidcock. The Briton, whose participation is confirmed, has a natural talent for cross-country racing, as his two Olympic gold medals prove.

Behind these two all-rounders, reigning Cross-Country World Champion Alan Hatherly (South Africa) and Short-Track World Champion Victor Koretzky (France) are expected to battle for the podium positions. After focusing on road races, including the Giro d'Italia, in the first half of the season, Hatherly used the summer to regain his form on a mountain bike. He subsequently won both the South African Cross-Country and Short-Track national titles. Koretzky, on the other hand, had a completely different preparation: He has only competed in one mountain bike race so far, winning one of the traditional season openers in Banyoles, Spain. Also in contention for the top spots are Christopher Blevins (USA), the overall winner of the 2025 XCC and XCO World Cups; Mathis Azzaro, the leader of the 2026 XCC World Cup; Adrien Boichis, the leader of the 2026 XCO World Cup; Luca Martin (France); Dario Lillo; Filippo Colombo (Switzerland); Martin Vidaurre (Chile); Luca Braidot; and Simone Avondetto (Italy). Avondetto won the silver medal at the 2025 UCI Cross-Country World Championships.

In the women's race, the multi-sport athletes will also face off against the cross-country specialists. Puck Pieterse (Netherlands) and Isabella Holmgren (Canada) lead the front group; facing them are the reigning cross-country world champion and leader of the 2026 XCO World Cup, Jenny Rissveds (Sweden), Samara Maxwell (New Zealand), short track world champion Alessandra Keller, Jolanda Neff and the leader of the 2026 XCC World Cup, Sina Frei (Switzerland), Laura Stigger (Austria) and Martina Berta (Italy), who won the UCI World Cup in La Thuile this season.

Following their victory last year, France, along with Italy and Switzerland, is among the top favorites in the cross-country team relay. All medal-winning nations from 2025 have registered for the 2026 competition. France is aiming for its eighth UCI Cross-Country World Championship title, which would equal a record. A win would see them draw level with Switzerland, who last won in 2023 thanks to the sextet of Nino Schurter, Linda Indergand, Dario Lillo, Ronja Blöchlinger, Nicolas Halter, and Anina Hütter.

DOWNHILL: HÖLL AS FAVORITE, MEN'S TITLE REMAINS COMPLETELY OPEN

After an exceptionally hard-fought season, the men's downhill title is still wide open. In the women's competition, however, Valentina Höll is considered the undisputed favorite. The Austrian arrives in Val di Sole as a four-time world champion, having won the rainbow jersey every year from 2022 to 2025. Höll's main rival is the Frenchwoman Myriam Nicole, who last defeated the Austrian at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – on the Black Snake track in Val di Sole in 2021. The Swiss rider Lisa Baumann, the Canadian Gracey Hemstreet, the American Anna Newkirk, and the newly crowned European champion Gloria Scarsi are also among the title contenders. For Tahnee Seagrave (Great Britain) and Marine Cabirou (France), it has been a challenging season, but the Black Snake track could be the place where they rediscover their best form.

In the elite men's category, Jordan Williams (Great Britain) and Finn Iles (Canada) appear to be in top form, but the battle for the rainbow jersey promises to be a wide-open race. Amaury Pierron and Loris Vergier (France), Troy Brosnan (Australia), Asa Vermette, Luca Shaw, and Ryan Pinkerton (USA) all have the potential to win this race, which seems more unpredictable than ever. Reigning world champion Jackson Goldstone (Canada) is also among the contenders. Loïc Bruni, however, will not be competing: The six-time world champion is still recovering from an injury and is not yet fully fit.

E-XC: GILLOUX AND SPIELMANN – THE STRONGEST RIDERS

The first medals of the World Championships will be awarded in the e-mountain bike cross-country races on Wednesday, August 26, in Val di Sole. It was here, in Daolasa di Commezzadura, that Jérôme Gilloux first demonstrated his dominance in this discipline in 2021. The Frenchman is now aiming for his fifth consecutive world title. His challengers include Joris Ryf (Switzerland), Stéphane Tempier (France), and Daniele Braidot and Mirko Tabacchi (Italy). In the women's race, Austrian Anna Spielmann is considered the favorite, with her compatriot Tamara Wiedmann expected to be her main competitor.

Tickets for the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole-Trentino are available at www.valdisolebikeland.com.