The strength and depth of riders in the cross-country Olympic (XCO) races at the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships promise a fitting finale for the event’s last day of competition.
The action will take place on a punchy circuit of 3.5km with 155m of elevation gain in Val di Sole, Italy. Following the Junior XCO races on Thursday 27 August, the Elite and Under 23 XCO specialists will bring the curtain down on the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships on Sunday 30 August.
We look at some of the main contenders who feature on the Entry Lists.
Men Elite: multi-discipline stars join stellar line-up
Last-minute entrant Tom Pidcock is two-time mountain bike Olympic Champion (2020 and 2024), and won the XCO UCI world title in 2023. The British rider – who successfully switches between off-road and road riding and finished ninth in last month’s Tour de France - has also won two XCO golds (2022 and 2025) at the UEC Mountain Bike European Championships. In his only UCI XCO World Cup appearance of the season, the 27-year-old won in Nové Mesto Na Morave, Czechia.
Another multi-disciplinary name on the Entry List is Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman has enormous off-road credentials, having won the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships a staggering eight times, including the past four seasons. However, he’s yet to win the UCI world title in mountain bike, despite multiple UCI World Cup wins.
The 31-year-old – also a fierce competitor on the road with two stage wins in the recent Tour de France – races the UCI XCO World Cup in Les Gets (France) this coming weekend (21 to 23 August). It will be his first UCI World Cup since finishing sixth at the same venue a year ago.
Luca Martin (FRA) arrives in Val di Sole as another of the XCO favourites. The 24-year-old Frenchman leads the 2026 UCI World Cup overall, built on remarkable consistency (two victories and two second places so far this season). Or will it be another French rider, Adrien Boichis (23), who’ll take the spoils? The winner of the Under 23 UCI world title last year has two UCI XCO World Cup wins so far this season and sits in second overall.
Reigning and two-time UCI World Champion Alan Hatherly (RSA) is also a serious contender, despite modest results in this year’s UCI World Cup. Other riders to watch include home-nation favourite Simone Avondetto, Dario Lillo (SUI), Frenchmen Mathis Azzaro and Victor Koretzky (coming back from serious injury), and Martín Vidaurre (CHI).
Women Elite: Rissveds and the Swiss challengers
Reigning UCI World Champion Jenny Rissveds (SWE) heads to Italy as the leading contender for the Women Elite title after an outstanding 2026. The 2016 Olympic Champion is enjoying a stellar season, with three UCI XCO World Cup wins and a second place.
Sina Frei also arrives in exceptional form and arguably has greater momentum over fellow Swiss and reigning cross-country short track (XCC) UCI World Champion Alessandra Keller. Frei won the opening UCI XCO World Cup round of the season before claiming the title of European Champion in both the XCC and XCO, beating Keller by over one minute in the XCO race.
The home crowd will be hoping Martina Berta can give them something to celebrate. The 28-year-old celebrated her first-ever UCI World Cup victory in La Thuile – Valle d’Aoste (Italy) earlier this season and currently sits third in the overall standings.
2024 UCI World Champion Puck Pieterse (NED) has enjoyed a solid if not spectacular 2026, with a victory and a second place in the UCI World Cup. Other major contenders include Laura Stigger (AUT), Great Britain’s Evie Richards (2021 UCI World Champion), Haley Batten (USA) and former Under 23 UCI World Champion Mona Mitterwallner (AUT).
Under 23s: Schehl and Corvi look strong
In the Men Under 23 category, Paul Schehl (GER) has emerged as one of the strongest riders of 2026 and looks the favourite for major honours after winning the Under 23 XCC and XCO double at four UCI World Cup rounds this season.
Spain’s Thibaut François Baudry is also in fine form, sitting second in the overall UCI World Cup standings. Nicolas Halter (SUI), Rens Teunissen van Manen (NED), Gustav Pedersen (DEN) and Sivert Ekroll (NOR) form a further group of contenders in a strong line-up of under-23 riders.
The standout favourite in the Women Under 23 category is Italy’s Valentina Corvi. The 21-year-old has been in a class of her own this season, winning five rounds of the UCI XCO World Cup and leading the overall standings by a wide margin.
Katrin Embacher (AUT) is the nearest challenger, while Fiona Schibler (SUI) and Ella Macphee (CAN) have also demonstrated form and should not be overlooked.
Juniors: opening XCO races in Val di Sole
The Junior XCO races will take place on the morning of Thursday 27 August, three days before the Elite and Under 23 races for the speciality.
The Men Junior field looks wide open, with Mathieu Ghibaudo (FRA) and Michael Ortner (AUT) among the leading contenders. Josef Kuchař (CZE) is another rider to watch for, while Great Britain and Germany have several very capable Juniors at the start.
In the Women Junior race, Anja Grossmann (SUI) is a strong contenderafter winning the recent UEC Mountain Bike European Continental Championships by more than three minutes from Lise Revol (FRA). Barbora Bukovská (CZE) won European XCC gold and XCO bronze, while Nikoletta Kiss (HUN) could also be a threat after taking European XCC bronze.