The 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships team relay (XCR) takes place on the evening of the first of competition (Wednesday 26 August) in Val di Sole, Italy. It follows the E-mountain bike cross-country (E-XC) races earlier in the day.
XCR is one of the most exhilarating formats in mountain bike. Each nation’s team is made up of one rider from each category: Women Elite, Men Elite, Women Under 23, Men Under 23, Women Junior and Men Junior. Each team member competes one at a time, completing one lap before handing over to a teammate in a designated change-over zone. The team with the fastest overall time is crowned UCI World Champion.
The Val di Sole XCR course is based on the same compact cross-country circuit used for the wider UCI Mountain Bike World Championships programme. It measures around 3.5km, with 200m of climbing.
Importance of rider order
What makes XCR unpredictable is that each nation decides the order of its six riders. That adds an important tactical edge, with teams weighing the strengths of each athlete against the characteristics of the course and how quickly each can tick off their lap.
Will the manager decide that the opening rider needs to set a strong benchmark for the team to build on? Or will they save their faster riders for later, to be sure of a strong finish? Whatever the strategy, the final rider acts as the team's anchor and can often prove decisive in whether the nation makes the podium.
The relay format also makes depth across all six categories essential. A nation with two outstanding riders cannot necessarily make up for weaknesses among other team members. A team with strength throughout, by contrast, can stay competitive even without the fastest individual on show.
France and Switzerland lead the gold rush
The team relay at last year’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, was an incredibly tactical and closely fought affair up front between France, Italy and Switzerland. Switzerland made the strongest start, but Italy moved into contention through the middle laps, with France repeatedly closing gaps as they appeared
The decisive moment came when Italy's Junior rider, Ettore Fabbro, began the final lap with a four-second lead. But France had saved Men Elite rider Joshua Dubau for the finale, and he produced the fastest lap of the day, overtaking Fabbro to secure gold. France won in 1:05:14, 34 seconds ahead of Italy, with Switzerland third.
On that memorable day in 2025, France’s team comprised Loana Lecomte, Adrien Boichis, Olivia Onesti, Lucas Teste, Lise Revol and, of course, Dubau.
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.
It's an impressive medal haul for both countries in a specialty that gained UCI world status in 1999 (in Åre, Sweden) with a four-rider format.
Now featuring teams of six, multiple tactical options and with a history of thrilling finishes, XCR promises to deliver another compelling battle for the rainbow jersey in Val di Sole.