BBC to broadcast elite cross-country finals at Mountain Bike Worlds
The 2026 Mountain Bike World Championships are taking place in Val di Sole, Italy, with BBC Sport showing the elite women's and men's cross-country races live on Sunday. British riders Charlie Aldridge, Tom Pidcock, and Evie Richards are among the leading contenders. Aldridge recently won double gold at the European Championships, while Pidcock enters after finishing ninth in the Tour de France.
The championships conclude on the demanding "Black Snake" downhill course in Val di Sole, a track known for its technical difficulty. BBC viewers can access Sunday's elite races through iPlayer, the BBC Sport app, and the sport website, with the women's event starting at 11:50 BST and the men's following at 14:05 BST.
Aldridge arrives in Italy carrying momentum from a European Championships double in short-track and cross-country, while Pidcock's late entry follows a ninth-place Tour de France finish. Richards seeks to surpass her fourth-place European result, though she faces reigning world champion Jenny Rissveds, European champion Sina Frei, and home favourite Martina Berta.
Free-to-air coverage of these finals could broaden the sport's audience beyond dedicated cycling followers, particularly as British riders contend for world titles. The presence of established names like Pidcock, an Olympic gold medallist, may draw casual sports viewers and inspire younger audiences to take up mountain biking. However, the early-afternoon Sunday scheduling may limit reach among families and casual viewers, potentially capping the event's cultural footprint despite the strong British representation.