Pidcock and Van der Poel meet at the XCO Worlds

Tom Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel headline a star-studded elite men's cross-country field at the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole. The event awards 17 rainbow jerseys across XCO, short track, team relay, downhill and E-mountain bike, with the elite XCO race closing the programme on Sunday, August 30.

Pidcock arrives as a two-time Olympic champion and the 2023 XCO world champion. He has raced only one World Cup round this season, winning in Nové Město. Eight-time cyclo-cross world champion Van der Poel is still seeking his first mountain bike world title and enters after finishing second to Adrien Boichis at Les Gets.

The 3.5-kilometre circuit gains 155 metres per lap. World Cup leader Luca Martin, Les Gets winner Boichis and reigning two-time world champion Alan Hatherly are among the other leading contenders, alongside Simone Avondetto, Victor Koretzky and Martín Vidaurre.