Olympic and reigning world champions are set to compete at the 2026 UCI Track Cycling World Championships at the Shanghai Velodrome this week, with events broadcast live on the BBC.
The championships, running from 14 to 18 October, feature 22 titles and serve as the inaugural qualifying event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Competitors will race across endurance and sprint disciplines for the prestigious rainbow jerseys.
Great Britain enters the competition looking to improve on their 2025 performance, where they finished second overall behind the Netherlands, who secured nine gold medals. The Dutch squad was led by Harrie Lavreysen, who dominated by claiming four golds in the Keirin, Sprint, 1km Time Trial, and Team Sprint.
Team GB will be missing key veterans, as reigning Madison world champion Katie Archibald retired in May to pursue a nursing career, and Olympic team sprint champion Katy Marchant also announced her departure from the sport last month.
Despite the exits, the British roster remains potent, featuring eight world title winners and eight Olympic medallists. Gold medallists Emma Finucane and Sophie Capewell will aim to reclaim their world title in the women’s team sprint. Finucane arrives in Shanghai in top form after securing a record four gold medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
They are joined in the women’s sprint team by Welsh rider Lowri Thomas, a Glasgow gold medallist, and Rhianna Parris-Smith, who has won medals at both the World and Commonwealth Championships. The endurance lineup features elite debuts from promising riders Millie Couzens, Erin Boothman, and Abi Miller, alongside experienced campaigners Meg Barker, Josie Knight, and individual pursuit champion Anna Morris.
On the men’s side, Harry Ledingham-Horn, who collected silver and bronze at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, will look to better his team sprint silver from the previous year’s Worlds. Matt Richardson returns from injury after defeating Lavreysen to win the European sprint title earlier in the year. He is supported by Joe Truman and Ed Lowe, the latter of whom won Olympic silver in the team sprint at Paris 2024.
Veterans Ethan Vernon, Mark Stewart, and Ollie Wood bring extensive experience to the endurance squad, combining for 15 Olympic and world medals. Brothers Noah and Henry Hobbs, who recently celebrated Commonwealth success, and Matt Bostock round out the men’s endurance team.
The BBC will provide comprehensive coverage of the championships. Live broadcasting will take place on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website and app.
The schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, 14 October
Women’s scratch race and team sprint final; Men’s team sprint final.
Thursday, 15 October
Men’s team pursuit final, keirin finals, and scratch race; Women’s elimination race and team pursuit final.
Friday, 16 October
Men’s points race, time trial, and individual pursuit final; Women’s sprint final and omnium.
Saturday, 17 October
Men’s Omnium; Women’s time trial, madison, and individual pursuit final.
Sunday, 18 October
Men’s sprint final, elimination race, and madison; Women’s points race and keirin final.
Excited to see Matt Richardson back after injury. Beating Lavreysen proves he’s still got the pace.
Wait, is the BBC covering the keirin? I thought it was too fast and violent for mainstream TV!
The Dutch team looks unstoppable with Lavreysen. Can GB really challenge for gold this time?
BBC coverage is a lifesaver for us non-cycling fans. Finally something worth recording in the evenings.
Sad to see Katie Archibald retire. She was a force on the track, nursing or not!