The second day of racing at the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy (Thursday 27 August), will be all about cross-country short track (XCC). Rainbow jerseys in the specialty will be on offer in the Elite and Under 23 categories for men and women, with riders tackling a 1km circuit with 25 metres of elevation.
The entry lists are out, so here are some of the names to watch for.
Women Elite: Keller back for more
Switzerland's Alessandra Keller returns to defend the Women Elite rainbow jersey she won so brilliantly in Zermatt (Switzerland), where she attacked on the penultimate lap and held off Sweden's Jenny Rissveds. Keller, who won the UCI World Cup overall title for both cross-country Olympic (XCO) and XCC in 2022, is both explosive and technically astute.
Both traits could equally describe Keller's Swiss teammate, Sina Frei, who many will consider the rider to beat in 2026. The 2021 XCC UCI World Champion is in superb form: she won the XCC title at the 2026 UEC Mountain Bike European Continental Championships and is currently leading the UCI XCC World Cup standings. The 29-year-old's ability to accelerate repeatedly and ride technical sections at pace makes her well-suited to the Val di Sole course.
Rissveds will also be in contention, and may be the biggest threat of all. She left the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships with two medals: silver in the XCC and gold in the XCO. The 32-year-old has carried that form into 2026, winning two rounds of the UCI XCC World Cup, La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta (Italy) and Pal Arinsal (Andorra), along with European bronze in both the XCC and XCO. She has also won three rounds of the UCI XCO World Cup, at Saalfelden-Leogang Salzburgerland (Austria), Lenzerheide (Switzerland) and Pal Arinsal. Her ability to produce decisive late attacks make her a serious challenger.
Dutch rider Puck Pieterse, 24, is another world-class talent to look out for. She's a multiple UCI XCC World Cup winner, including at Nové Město Na Morave (Czechia) in 2026, and has explosive speed and handling skills that she has honed through cyclo-cross.
Also keep an eye on Austria's Laura Stigger (25), who finished second behind Pieterse in Nové Město Na Morave. Great Britain's ever-threatening Evie Richards (29), UCI World Champion for XCC in 2024, is another to watch, as is the rapid Savilia Blunk of the USA, winner of the Lenzerheide UCI XCC World Cup round earlier this season.
Men Elite: Van der Poel looking to expand rainbow collection
The Men Elite race is set to be an incredibly close affair, and a dramatic one, with the Netherlands' Mathieu van der Poel among the contenders. A multiple UCI World Champion - on the road, in gravel and in cyclo-cross -, he is still chasing a first mountain bike rainbow jersey, and his multiple UCI XCC World Cup wins make it clear he will be a firm contender for the title.
Van der Poel faces stiff competition, however, from a host of rivals including France's Victor Koretzky. The 31-year-old is the reigning two-time UCI XCC World Champion and has racked up multiple UCI XCC World Cup victories. A serious injury at the start of the season kept him out of UCI World Cup competition until now but he will race the XCO at the round in Les Gets, France this coming weekend (Sunday 23 August). It will be interesting to see how he measures up: his superb technical ability and exceptional tactical judgement are his trademarks, and he is particularly dangerous when a race comes down to a small group and a late attack or sprint.
The same cannot be said of France's Adrien Boichis. The 23-year-old currently leads the 2026 UCI XCC World Cup standings with 960 points, having won at Lenzerheide and La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta and finished second at Pal Arinsal. He also has strong Championship pedigree, having won the U23 XCC UCI world title last year. His 2026 consistency suggests a smooth transition from promising talent to genuine Elite contender.
Boichis' countryman Luca Martin (24) has also enjoyed a fine 2026 XCC campaign so far, sitting third in the UCI XCC World Cup standings. He has been remarkably consistent, finishing second at both Lenzerheide and La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta before coming in third at Pal Arinsal. He finished second overall in the 2025 UCI XCC World Cup.
Twenty-four-year-old American Bjorn Riley sits fourth in the UCI XCC World Cup standings, having secured a victory at Pal Arinsal. He also won the USA National XCC title, beating countryman Christopher Blevins in a sprint. Blevins is himself a firm contender for the rainbow jersey.
Other contenders in a stacked field include France's Mathis Azzaro (26) and Great Britain's Charlie Aldridge (25), the 2023 Under 23 XCO UCI World Champion.
Under 23: Corvi a home favourite, Schehl untouchable so far this season
In the Women Under 23 race, Italy's Valentina Corvi is arguably the favourite on home soil, and is currently leading the 2026 U23 XCC World Cup standings with two victories so far this season. The Netherlands' Bloeme Kalis, winner in Lenzerheide, could be her biggest rival in a talent-packed field.
In the Men Under 23 event, the clear favourite is Paul Schehl of Germany, who has been virtually untouchable in 2026, winning the last five rounds of the UCI XCC World Cup and leading the series on 1,410 points. Thibaut Francois Baudry of Spain is the obvious threat, with a win at YongPyong (South Korea) and four further podiums, while Nicolas Halter of Switzerland has also been consistent and lies in third overall.