Val di Sole and Trentino had waited a long time for them. Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock have arrived at Daolasa di Commezzadura. The Briton, a two-time UCI Olympic mountain bike champion, chose to prepare well away from the spotlight, and the Dutchman has given the curious very little either. Behind the silence there is one certainty: neither has come to the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Val di Sole-Trentino, running from August 26th to 30th, to make up the numbers. With their pedigree, anything else would be a surprise.
Where Pidcock has kept the lights off, Van der Poel prepared between Livigno and a single official outing, which ended with second place on his return to the UCI World Cup (UCI MTB World Series) at Les Gets, behind one of the standout riders of the fat-tyre season: that same Adrien Boichis who already has the Cross-country Short Track gold medal round his neck from Thursday, August 27th.
The 31-year-old Dutchman, winner of two editions of Milano–Sanremo, three of the Tour of Flanders and three of Paris–Roubaix, as well as the Elite Road title at the 2023 UCI Road World Championships, eight Elite titles at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships and the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships, returns to Val di Sole in pursuit of the one rainbow jersey still missing from his extraordinary collection.
Friday, August 28th at Daolasa delivered the spectacle of Downhill on the Black Snake, for now only in the form of the Qualifying Round, with the finale to come on Saturday, August 29th. Van der Poel made himself available to the media, taking stock of his build-up and of his goals for the Cross-country Olympic on Sunday, August 30th.
“In an ideal scenario I would have raced a few more UCI World Cup rounds to get a better starting position, but that is how it went,” said Mathieu van der Poel. “On Sunday I will also need a bit of luck. I know it will be difficult, but I am here to give it a go.”
On the comparison with Pidcock, who like him will start from the fifth row of the grid, Van der Poel added: “It will not only be difficult for me: it will be difficult for Pidcock too. If we cannot move up quickly in the first two laps, it will be very hard.”
Both Pidcock and Van der Poel rode the Cross-country circuit in Val di Sole on Friday morning. For the Briton it is a first look at the Daolasa course, while the Dutchman had already raced the 2019 UCI World Cup round here, winning both the Cross-country Short Track and the Cross-country Olympic.
“It is a really nice course,” the Dutchman added. “I found it quite changed compared with the last time, but it is still a track I like.”
Before Mathieu van der Poel, teammate Puck Pieterse also took the microphone. After eighth place in the Cross-country Short Track, she will be chasing a medal in Val di Sole, where she has already won the Cross-country at UCI World Cup level in 2023 and again last season.
“I have been to Val di Sole many times, between mountain bike and cyclo-cross, and I have a lot of good memories tied to these places and to this race. I like the circuit: it is demanding, but it flows better than last year, and it is certainly great fun. Given the way the season has gone, I feel I am starting a little behind Jenny Rissveds and Sina Frei, but I hope to be able to take them on,” said Puck Pieterse.
ELITE MEN’S DOWNHILL: LACHLAN STEVENS-MCNAB SPRINGS A SURPRISE ON THE BLACK SNAKE
Friday was qualifying day in Val di Sole for the Downhill programme, with the Black Snake staging the first cut ahead of the finale on Saturday, August 29th. The Junior women go first at 08:45, followed by the Junior men at 09:30, the Elite women at 13:10 and the Elite men at 15:00 (all times CEST).
In the afternoon the fastest was the surprising New Zealander Lachlan Stevens-McNab, whose 3:34.010 led the way. Behind him came compatriot Oliver Davis (3:34.341) and Canada’s Jackson Goldstone (3:34.643), the reigning UCI World Champion in the discipline and a three-time winner in Val di Sole. It was on the Black Snake that Goldstone became UCI Junior World Champion in 2021, before winning at UCI World Cup level among the Elite in 2023 and 2025.
Seventh place went to UCI World Cup leader Jordan Williams of Great Britain, while Troy Brosnan was 14th and Amaury Pierron 20th.
LISA BAUMANN FASTEST IN THE ELITE WOMEN
Lisa Baumann set the fastest time on the Black Snake in the Elite women’s Qualifying Round. The Swiss stopped the clock in 4:02.591, ahead of Great Britain’s Harriet Harnden(4:05.560) and Austria’s Valentina Höll (4:05.816), a four-time – as well as defending - UCI World Champion.
France’s Marine Cabirou posted the eighth-fastest time. European Continental Champion Gloria Scarsi was the quickest Italian in 15th, while Eleonora Farina was 24th, on the penultimate Black Snake run of her racing career.
JUNIOR DOWNHILL: WILLIAMSON AND JENSEN TOP THE QUALIFYING ROUND
A New Zealand one-two in the Junior men’s Downhill Qualifying Round, with hot favourite Jonty Williamson fastest in 3:39.541. Malik Boatwright was second in 3:40.488, ahead of Switzerland’s Noé Forlin, third in 3:42.254.
Denmark’s Rosa Jensen set the fastest time in the Junior women’s Qualifying Round, in 4:05.581. Australia’s Tilly Boadle was second in 4:08.818, with New Zealand’s Indy Deavoll completing the provisional podium in 4:16.888.
SWITZERLAND LEAD THE MEDAL TABLE AFTER NINE OF SEVENTEEN TITLES
Nine of the seventeen titles on offer at the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Val di Sole-Trentino have been awarded so far, for a total of twenty-seven medals.
Switzerland lead the medal table with eight medals in all, three of them gold: Anja Grossmann’s in the Junior Cross-country and the two won by siblings Nicolas and Monique Halter in the Cross-country Short Track U23.
France and Austria follow the Swiss with two golds apiece, while Italy are fourth on the back of the Cross-country Team Relay gold won on Wednesday, August 26th.
1. Switzerland (3 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)
2. Austria (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
3. France (2 gold, 3 bronze)
4. Italy and Australia (1 gold)
6. Great Britain (3 silver)
7. Czech Republic and Germany (1 silver)
9. United States (2 bronze)
10. Netherlands (1 bronze)
