The 2026 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Huntsville, Alabama (United States) will take place between Friday 4 and Monday 7 September. A total of 348 athletes from 49 countries are set to compete.
The Friday and Saturday welcome para cycling’s strongest time triallists, with the road races taking place on the Sunday and Monday.
In this first of two previews, we take a look at the time trials.
Fast rolling circuit
The Huntsville time trial course is a 14.6km, fast, rolling circuit around the Cummings Research Park area, the second largest research park in the USA and fourth largest in the world. With just 74m of elevation, it’s designed to reward sustained power rather than pure climbing ability. Riders face a mixture of long, exposed straights and flowing technical sections, with gentle rises and descents and some technical corners. Riders will complete one or two laps of the circuit –14.6km or 29.2km – depending on their sport class.
Here are some of the favourites to win the iconic rainbow jersey of UCI World Champion.
Alexandre Léauté (FRA), MC2
Alexandre Léauté (25) is the benchmark in the MC2 category. The three-time Paralympic Champion - including time trial gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympics - is also 25-time UCI World Champion (road and track) including three time trial titles. It remains to be seen how the Frenchman performs after suffering a fracture of the femoral neck in a training crash in mid-April, an injury which forced him to miss the June UEC Para Cycling Road European Championships in Maniago, Italy.
Katie-George Dunlevy (IRL), WB
Ireland’s Katie-George Dunlevy and pilot Linda Kelly are slight favourites over the British pairing of Sophie Unwin and pilot Jenny Holl in the Women B sport class. The Irish rider has amassed nearly 60 career wins, including three in the time trial at the Paralympics: Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Dunlevy and Kelly are also the current time trial UCI World Champions after storming the 23.km course in Ronse, Belgium. In 2026, standout victories include at the UCI Para cycling Road World Cup round in Gistel (Belgium) and at the UEC European Championships. That said, they lost out to Unwin and Holl in the final UCI World Cup round, in Abruzzo (Italy). This could be a memorable encounter.
Samantha Bosco (USA), WC4
The USA’s Samantha Bosco will be looking to give home fans something to celebrate as she aims for her seventh world title in the WC4 time trial and third in the time trial after 2022 and 2023 victories in Baie-Comeau (Canada) and Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland (United Kingdom) respectively. The 39-year-old also won Paralympic gold in the C4 time trial at Paris 2024 after winning time trial bronze at Rio 2016. However, Bosco faces stiff competition from Australia’s Tara Neyland, who’s the defending time trial UCI World Champion. Neyland also won the time trial at the Gistel round of the UCI Para Cycling Road World Cup, the Australian road race title and both her track events at the Commonwealth Games.
Mitch Valize (NED), MH5
Mitch Valize has won the time trial UCI world title five consecutive times, from 2021 through 2025, as well as Paralympic time trial gold at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. In 2026, the 31-year-old remains in outstanding form, winning the European title in June. Definitely the one to beat.
Marieke van Soest (NED) WT1
Marieke van Soest is the clear favourite for the 2026 time trial UCI world title in her sport class. The 27-year-old rider has been dominant in recent years, winning Paralympic gold in Paris in 2024, the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championship time trials in 2024 and 2025, and the 2026 UEC European Championships. Her biggest challenger could be Czech rider Pavlína Vejvodová, winner of both the time trial and road race UCI world titles in 2023.
Ricardo Ten Argilés (ESP), MC1
Ricardo Ten Argilés is one of para cycling’s most decorated riders. He won the time trial at the 2025 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, adding another UCI world title to an extraordinary collection. The 51-year-old, whose career has spanned swimming and cycling, is showing no signs of slowing down and is aiming for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics.
Lauren Parker (AUS), WH3
Australia’s Lauren Parker looks a strong contender in the WH3 category. The 37-year-old is the reigning UCI World Champion in both the time trial and road race, plus she has numerous UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup time trial wins to her name. She’s also a multiple World Para-triathlon Champion. Few rivals can match her strength and versatility.
Tristan Bangma (NED) MB
The Dutch duo of Tristan Bangma and Patrick Bos are arguably the strongest time trial pairing in the Men B sport class. Bangma is a five-time Paralympic Champion, including in the time trial at the Paris 2024 Games. Bos and Bangma won the time trial at this year’s UEC Para Cycling Road European Championships and finished at the top of the 2026 UCI Para Cycling Road World Cup standings. That’s despite finishing behind Elie De Carvalho and Mickaël Guichard in Gistel and Abruzzo, making the French duo their main rivals.
With a fast, flowing course and top-class international field, the Huntsville time trials promise two days of high-speed, high-stakes racing. Expect tight margins, tactical pacing and plenty of drama as cycling’s best para cyclists chase rainbow jerseys.
Para cycling sport divisions
C – Cycle: conventional bike with adaptations if necessary
T – Tricycle: three-wheeled bike
H – Handcycle
B – Tandem: for visually impaired athletes with sighted pilot
The first three divisions are divided into different sport classes – C (1-5), T (1-2) and H (1-5) –, with the lower the number indicating a higher level of impairment.