Tom Pidcock, Oscar Onley, Adam Yates... - Great Britain reveal the 36 riders that will take part in the 2026 World Championships
CyclingWednesday, 16 September 2026 at 12:19
Great Britain have announced their lineups for the Montréal World Championships. Tom Pidcock will lead the charge for the rainbow jersey on the men's side whilst Zoe Bäckstedt will be the main contender to bring success to Great Britain on the women's field.
The men's time trial event, taking place this Sunday in Montréal, will feature Ethan Hayter and Callum Thornley, two riders who have featured heavily during the time trials of the recent Vuelta a España. Thornley will also take part in the men's elite road race, in a lineup led by Tom Pidcock.
The Briton has won the mountain bike world championships in recent weeks, and will lead one of the strongest teams in the field which include Vuelta youth classification winner Oscar Onley who comes in as one of the strongest outsiders for a victory; and former GP de Montréal winner Adam Yates who has also shown good form this past weekend.
British national champion Fred Wright will be amongst the group of classics specialists and climbers whilst also include Finlay Pickering, Mark Donovan and James Shaw.
Great Britain for 2026 Montréal men's elite World Championships
| Road Race | Time Trial |
| Tom Pidcock | Callum Thornley |
| Oscar Onley | Ethan Hayter |
| Finlay Pickering | |
| Adam Yates | |
| Fred Wright | |
| Mark Donovan | |
| James Shaw | |
| Callum Thornley |
Tom Pidcock will lead the way for Great Britain at the Montréal World Championships
Bäckstedt and Wiggins lead under-23's
Zoe Bäckstedt in the meantime will be the leader for the women's elite road race, being joined by Georgi Pfeiffer, Josie Nelson, Lauren Dickson, Anna Henderson and Flora Perkins.
Bäckstedt, reigning under-23 time trial world champion, will also race against the clock whilst being joined by Anna Moris who will compete only in the time trial event.
Ben Wiggins, son of the former Olympic time trial gold medalist Bradley Wiggins, will be the sole rider at the under-23 time trial event; whilst in the road race he will be joined by Elliot Rowe, William Smith, Jacob Bush and Mattie Dodd.
Movistar's Cat Ferguson will be at the women's under-23 ITT; whilst in the women's under-23 road race, Ferguson will be joined by Imogen Wolff, Awen Robers and Abi Miller.
Junior World Championships
In the men's junior world championships the team will include Evander Wishart, Leon Atkins (both will be racing the time trial event as well); Dexter Townsend, Gus Dutton and Finlay Storrie.
On the women's side, Gabby McHugh and Aalia Clay will race both the road race and time trial; whilst Zoe Roche, Peggy Knox and Melanie Rowe will join the duo in the road race.
Stephen Park, performance director for the the British team, has said the following: "The road world championships are always one of the standout events in the cycling calendar, and we are excited to return with a highly competitive Great Britain Cycling Team squad.
"This squad showcases the very best of British road racing, at a time when more British riders are making their mark across Europe and on the wider international stage than ever before. That progress is testament to the programmes and pathways we have in place, as well as the fierce domestic competition that continues to drive our pipeline of talent.
"We’re proud of the balance in this squad, from established world-class performers to riders taking the next step in their development, and we’re looking forward to seeing them test themselves against the very best in Montreal."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- yes, they're terrible, and management seems delusional.mij16-09-2026
- ok...PogiSloFans16-09-2026
- Hahahaha lol father as arrogant as son. Remco would have finished 3rd. Has he ever beaten Vin in a grand tour. Great rider for classics and mini stage races but his PR staff need to start earning their pay he is still a total tool and not very well liked within the peleton.paultryan200216-09-2026
- provided that pogi will (need to) come back to the vuelta in 2027 to finish what he started, the vuelta will ultimately have benefited from his crashout this year ... they get to have him as a headliner 2 years in a row!Ketterechts16-09-2026
- we are witnessing the dismantling of a team that dominated the peloton for a long time. the past few years have been grim, and with the current personnel policy, the years ahead are unlikely to be any better.Ketterechts16-09-2026
- like father like sonmij16-09-2026
- lucky guy. good for him for signing the big contract. surprised IPT coughed up the money considering the extent of it.mij16-09-2026
- vos is going for gravelmij16-09-2026
- wow 50 is insane. good for him.mij16-09-2026
- I mean, probably not - but this WC is going to be about ten guys who all seem capable in the moment. A real unknown outcome, I cannot wait.wrsty16-09-2026
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