Updated August 25, 2026 06:57AM
Van der Poel, Pidcock, and Pieterse Headline Val di Sole XCO MTB World Championships
2026 Mountain Bike World Championships cheat sheet: Start lists, how to watch, and full schedules as Van der Poel chases the rainbow jersey.
Van der Poel headlines the men's field at the XCO mountain bike world championships Sunday in Italy. (Photo: Piotr Staron/Getty Images)
The 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships roar into Val di Sole this week with blockbuster cross-country fields led by Mathieu van der Poel, Tom Pidcock and Puck Pieterse, as some of cycling’s biggest stars chase the rainbow jersey in Italy.
MVDP arrives with huge momentum after ripping to second Sunday at the Les Gets XCO World Cup, his best mountain bike result in years.
The Dutchman’s dream of the world title sees him facing off against a stacked start list.
Two-time Olympic champion Pidcock and defending world champion Alan Hatherly headline a deep elite men’s field that also includes Victor Koretzky, USA’s Christopher Blevins, and Adrien Boichis, Sunday’s winner in Les Gets.
Pieterse will square off against an equally loaded women’s lineup, alongside Jenny Rissveds, Alessandra Keller, Sina Frei , American Haley Batten, and home favorite Martina Berta.
Val di Sole-Trentino hosts five days of medal racing from Wednesday, August 26 through Sunday, August 30, with 777 riders representing 52 nations.
Daolasa di Commezzadura hosts the cross-country events, including XCO, short track, team relay and E-MTB cross-country.
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The gravity action unfolds on Val di Sole’s famed Black Snake downhill course, while nearby Commezzadura also hosts the trials competitions.
The first rainbow jerseys will be awarded Wednesday, with the cross-country team relay as the week builds toward the marquee elite downhill and XCO races over the weekend.
Here’s everything you need to know:
How to Watch: 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships
| Country / Region | Broadcaster |
| Pan-Europe | Eurosport / HBO Max |
| Belgium | VRT / RTBF |
| Czech Republic | Czech TV |
| Denmark | TV2 |
| France | L’Equipe |
| Hungary | MTV |
| Netherlands | NOS |
| Italy | Rai |
| Slovenia | RTV |
| Switzerland | SRG |
| Spain | TVE |
| United Kingdom | BBC / TNT |
| Canada | FloBikes |
| United States | FloBikes |
| New Zealand | Sky |
| Pan Africa | SuperSport |
| Latin America | DirecTV |
| Australia | Stan |
| Malaysia | Astro |
Schedule 2026 world mountain bike championships
| Date | Events |
| Wednesday, August 26 | E-MTB World Championships: Men’s and Women’s E-Mountain Bike title races. Cross-country Team Relay (XCR): Mixed nation team battle. |
| Thursday, August 27 | Cross-country Short Track (XCC): Elite men’s, elite women’s, and U23 finals. |
| Friday, August 28 | Downhill (DHI) Qualifications: Qualifying rounds across junior and elite fields to set seeding for finals. 4X Pro Tour: The Four-Cross night races. |
| Saturday, August 29 | Downhill (DHI) Finals: The world’s fastest downhillers take on the brutal “Black Snake” track. |
| Sunday, August 30 | Cross-country Olympic (XCO) Finals: Junior, U23, and elite men’s and women’s races. |
Women’s preliminary XCO start list
The women’s race is loaded. Pieterse headlines a field that includes Olympic champions Rissveds and Jolanda Neff.
The USA sends a four-rider team, headlined by Olympic silver medalist Batten. She is joined by Savilia Blunk, Gwendalyn Gibson, and Madigan Munro, giving the Americans plenty of depth.
| Rider | Nation |
| 1. Kristina Ilina | AIN |
| 2. Tatiana Saitarova | AIN |
| 3. Aleksandra Ushakova | AIN |
| 4. Rebecca Henderson | AUS |
| 5. Mona Mitterwallner | AUT |
| 6. Laura Stigger | AUT |
| 7. Tamara Wiedmann | AUT |
| 8. Emeline Detilleux | BEL |
| 9. Karen Fernandes Olimpio | BRA |
| 10. Raiza Goulao Henrique | BRA |
| 11. Giuliana Salvini Morgen | BRA |
| 12. Isabella Holmgren | CAN |
| 13. Emilly Johnston | CAN |
| 14. Catalina Vidaurre Kossmann | CHI |
| 15. Ekaterina Kovalchuk | CYP |
| 16. Jitka Čábelická | CZE |
| 17. Adéla Holubová | CZE |
| 18. Tereza Tvarůžková | CZE |
| 19. Caroline Bohé | DEN |
| 20. Sofie Pedersen | DEN |
| 21. Nuria Bosch Pico | ESP |
| 22. Estibaliz Sagardoy Zunzarren | ESP |
| 23. Janika Lõiv | EST |
| 24. Line Burquier | FRA |
| 25. Léna Gerault | FRA |
| 26. Loana Lecomte | FRA |
| 27. Evie Richards | GBR |
| 28. Kira Böhm | GER |
| 29. Luisa Daubermann | GER |
| 30. Ronja Eibl | GER |
| 31. Nina Graf | GER |
| 32. Finja Lipp | GER |
| 33. Sina Van Thiel | GER |
| 34. Naama Noyman | ISR |
| 35. Martina Berta | ITA |
| 36. Greta Seiwald | ITA |
| 37. Giada Specia | ITA |
| 38. Maria Carolina Flores Garcia | MEX |
| 39. Fatima Anahi Hijar Marin | MEX |
| 40. Puck Pieterse | NED |
| 41. Anne Terpstra | NED |
| 42. Oda Laforce | NOR |
| 43. Amélie Mackay | NZL |
| 44. Samara Maxwell | NZL |
| 45. Gabriela Wojtyla | POL |
| 46. Ana Santos | POR |
| 47. Candice Lill | RSA |
| 48. Vita Movrin | SLO |
| 49. Ronja Blöchlinger | SUI |
| 50. Ginia Caluori | SUI |
| 51. Ramona Forchini | SUI |
| 52. Sina Frei | SUI |
| 53. Alessandra Keller | SUI |
| 54. Nicole Koller | SUI |
| 55. Jolanda Neff | SUI |
| 56. Tereza Kurnická | SVK |
| 57. Jenny Rissveds | SWE |
| 58. Yana Belomoina | UKR |
| 59. Maria Sherstiuk | UKR |
| 60. Haley Batten | USA |
| 61. Savilia Blunk | USA |
| 62. Gwendalyn Gibson | USA |
| 63. Madigan Munro | USA |
| 64. Stacey Hyslop |
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Men’s preliminary XCO start list
The men’s field is stacked with some of the biggest names in mountain biking. Multi-discipline stars Pidcock and Van der Poel bring superstar billing, while defending world champion Hatherly, Blevins, and Koretzky are among the major threats for the rainbow jersey.
The USA brings three riders, with Blevins joined by Riley Amos and Bjorn Riley.
| Rider | Nation |
| 1. Evgenii Evgrafov | AIN |
| 2. Agustin Duran | ARG |
| 3. Juan Ignacio Goudailliez | ARG |
| 4. Mario Bair | AUT |
| 5. Maximilian Foidl | AUT |
| 6. Pierre De Froidmont | BEL |
| 7. Jens Schuermans | BEL |
| 8. Ulan Bastos Galinski | BRA |
| 9. Alex Junior Malacarne | BRA |
| 10. Gustavo Xavier De Oliveira Pereira | BRA |
| 11. Gunnar Holmgren | CAN |
| 12. Tyler Orschel | CAN |
| 13. Cole Punchard | CAN |
| 14. Logan Sadesky | CAN |
| 15. Carter Woods | CAN |
| 16. Ignacio Gallo Florido | CHI |
| 17. Nicolas Martin Soto | CHI |
| 18. Martin Vidaurre Kossmann | CHI |
| 19. Jhonnatan Botero Villegas | COL |
| 20. Nelson Peña Franco | COL |
| 21. Ondřej Cink | CZE |
| 22. Jan Sáska | CZE |
| 23. Jan Zatloukal | CZE |
| 24. Simon Andreassen | DEN |
| 25. Sebastian Fini Juul | DEN |
| 26. Tobias Lillelund | DEN |
| 27. David Domingo Campos Motos | ESP |
| 28. Jofre Cullell Estape | ESP |
| 29. Mathis Azzaro | FRA |
| 30. Adrien Yves Claude Boichis | FRA |
| 31. Joshua Dubau | FRA |
| 32. Mathis Guay | FRA |
| 33. Victor Koretzky | FRA |
| 34. Luca Martin | FRA |
| 35. Jordan Sarrou | FRA |
| 36. Charlie Aldridge | GBR |
| 37. Thomas Pidcock | GBR |
| 38. Maximilian Brandl | GER |
| 39. Leon Reinhard Kaiser | GER |
| 40. Lennart-Jan Krayer | GER |
| 41. David List | GER |
| 42. Julian Schelb | GER |
| 43. Luca Schwarzbauer | GER |
| 44. Christopher Dawson | IRL |
| 45. Tomer Zaltsman | ISR |
| 46. Simone Avondetto | ITA |
| 47. Luca Braidot | ITA |
| 48. Filippo Fontana | ITA |
| 49. Juri Zanotti | ITA |
| 50. Riki Kitabayashi | JPN |
| 51. Ivan Aguilar Villegas | MEX |
| 52. Adair Zabdiel Gutierrez Prieto | MEX |
| 53. Jose Gerardo Ulloa Arevalo | MEX |
| 54. Tom Schellekens | NED |
| 55. Mathieu Van Der Poel | NED |
| 56. Mats Tubaas Glende | NOR |
| 57. William Handley | NOR |
| 58. Knut Røhme | NOR |
| 59. Sondre Rokke | NOR |
| 60. Anton Cooper | NZL |
| 61. Samuel Gaze | NZL |
| 62. Krzysztof Łukasik | POL |
| 63. Gonçalo Amado | POR |
| 64. João Cruz | POR |
| 65. Roberto Ferreira | POR |
| 66. Farzad Khodayari | REF |
| 67. Roberto-Dumitru Burta | ROU |
| 68. Vlad Dascalu | ROU |
| 69. Patrick Pescaru | ROU |
| 70. Michael Foster | RSA |
| 71. Alan Hatherly | RSA |
| 72. Luke Moir | RSA |
| 73. Luca Ruwiel | RSA |
| 74. Johan Van Zyl | RSA |
| 75. Vital Albin | SUI |
| 76. Filippo Colombo | SUI |
| 77. Mathias Flückiger | SUI |
| 78. Marcel Guerrini | SUI |
| 79. Dario Lillo | SUI |
| 80. Fabio Püntener | SUI |
| 81. Luca Schätti | SUI |
| 82. Matej Ulík | SVK |
| 83. Oleksandr Hudyma | UKR |
| 84. Oleksandr Koniaiev | UKR |
| 85. Dmytro Titarenko | UKR |
| 86. Riley Amos | USA |
| 87. Christopher Blevins | USA |
| 88. Bjorn Riley | USA |