Five years after the previous edition, the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships are returning to Val di Sole-Trentino, and the numbers are those of a major international event. In all, 777 riders from 52 countries have entered. From August 26th to 30th, 17 rainbow jerseys will be awarded in Daolasa di Commezzadura. France has the largest delegation with 53 riders.
The entry list features a world-class field, including some of the biggest names in international cycling – most notably Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock. This immediately underlines the 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 track.
The first world titles and medals will be awarded on Wednesday, August 26th, with the two E-MTB races and the Cross-country Team Relay, the spectacular mixed-category event that has traditionally offered an early indication of the strength and ambitions of the leading endurance teams.
The action gets underway on Tuesday, August 25th, with the first official practice sessions in Daolasa di Commezzadura, followed by the opening ceremony. The national teams will parade through Malé, the capital of Val di Sole, in the presence of Maurizio Fugatti, President of the Autonomous Province of Trento.
ENDURANCE: ALL EYES ON VAN DER POEL AND PIDCOCK
Whenever riders of the calibre of Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock line up for a mountain bike race, they are immediately among the favourites. The Dutchman does not always make the transition to the dirt as seamlessly as he does on the road, despite his cross-country and short track victories in Val di Sole in 2019. His main rival in the race on Sunday, August 30th could well be Pidcock. The Briton, who is confirmed on the official entry list, has a natural affinity with cross-country racing, as evidenced by his two Olympic titles.
Behind these two multidisciplinary stars, the battle for the podium is likely to feature the reigning Cross-country World Champion, Alan Hatherly (South Africa), and the Short Track World Champion, Victor Koretzky (France). Having focused on road racing in the first part of the season, including the Giro d’Italia, Hatherly has spent the summer getting back up to speed on the mountain bike. He went on to win both the South African national cross-country and short track titles. Koretzky, on the other hand, has had a very different build-up: 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 positions are Christopher Blevins (USA), the 2025 XCC and XCO World Cup overall winner, Mathis Azzaro, the 2026 XCC World Cup leader Adrien Boichis, the 2026 XCO World Cup leader Luca Martin (France), Dario Lillo, Filippo Colombo (Switzerland), Martin Vidaurre (Chile), Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto(Italy). The latter claimed UCI World Championship silver in cross-country in 2025.
The women’s race also pits the multidisciplinary stars against the cross-country specialists. Puck Pieterse (Netherlands) and Isabella Holmgren (Canada) lead the first group; against them line up reigning Cross-country World Champion and 2026 XCO World Cup leader Jenny Rissveds (Sweden), Samara Maxwell (New Zealand), Short Track World Champion Alessandra Keller, Jolanda Neff and 2026 XCC World Cup leader Sina Frei (Switzerland), Laura Stigger (Austria) and Martina Berta (Italy), a UCI World Cup winner at La Thuile this season.
France will be among the leading favourites in the Cross-country Team Relay after winning in the last year edition, alongside Italy and Switzerland. Each of the medalling nations from 2025 has registered for the 2026 competition, with France aiming for a record-equalling eighth XCR UCI world title. If they triumph, they'll 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 Hutter.
DOWNHILL: HÖLL THE FAVOURITE AS THE MEN’S TITLE REMAINS WIDE OPEN
While the men’s Downhill title is up for grabs following an exceptionally competitive season, Valentina Höll is the undisputed benchmark in the women’s event. The Austrian arrives in Val di Sole as the four-time reigning World Champion, having won the rainbow jersey every year from 2022 to 2025.
Höll’s main rival will be Myriam Nicole of France, the last rider to defeat the Austrian at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships —– on the Black Snake in Val di Sole in 2021. Switzerland’s Lisa Baumann, Canada’s Gracey Hemstreet, the USA’s Anna Newkirk and Gloria Scarsi, the newly crowned European champion, will also be in the running. It has been a challenging season for Tahnee Seagrave (Great Britain) and Marine Cabirou(France), but the Black Snake track could be the place where they rediscover their best form.
In the men’s elite category, Jordan Williams (Great Britain) and Finn Iles (Canada) appear to be in the strongest form, but the battle for the rainbow jersey promises to be wide open. Amaury Pierron and Loris Vergier (France), Troy Brosnan (Australia), Asa Vermette, Luca Shaw and Ryan Pinkerton (USA) all have the credentials to win a race that looks more unpredictable than ever, as does reigning World Champion Jackson Goldstone(Canada). Meanwhile, Loïc Bruni will not be competing: the six-time World Champion is still recovering from injury and is not yet fully fit.
E-XC: GILLOUX AND SPIELMANN THE RIDERS TO BEAT
The E-Mountain Bike Cross-country races will see the first medals awarded at the World Championships in Val di Sole on Wednesday, August 26th. It was here, in Daolasa di Commezzadura, that Jérôme Gilloux first demonstrated his dominance of the discipline, in 2021. The Frenchman will now be chasing his fifth consecutive World Championship title.
He could be challenged by Joris Ryf (Switzerland), as well as Stéphane Tempier (France) and Daniele Braidot and Mirko Tabacchi (Italy). In the women’s event, the rider to beat is Austria’s Anna Spielmann, with her compatriot Tamara Wiedmann expected to be her main challenger.
Tickets for the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole-Trentino are available www.valdisolebikeland.com
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