Italy's cycling federation has announced a 30-athlete squad for the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships beginning August 26 in Val di Sole, Trentino. The squad selection represents a critical opportunity for Italian riders to convert recent European success into global medals on arguably the world's most technically demanding off-road terrain when competition begins next month.
Why This Matters
• Home advantage on iconic terrain: The Black Snake downhill and Val di Sole XCO circuits are considered among the toughest technical tracks in the UCI calendar.
• Recent momentum: Italian downhillers swept European Championship medals last week, with Gloria Scarsi and Loris Revelli claiming continental titles.
• 17 rainbow jerseys at stake: The upcoming event will award world titles across XCO, XCC, Team Relay, Downhill, and E-MTB categories from August 26-30.
• Broadcast access: Short Track, Downhill, and Elite Cross Country races will air live on RAI and Eurosport.
Italian Squad Composition and Key Names
National team coaches Mirko Celestino, Nadia De Negri, and Simone Fabbri selected 13 women and 17 men for the championships. The roster blends experienced podium finishers with emerging junior talent, anchored by athletes who medaled at the 2025 World Championships in Switzerland.
Simone Avondetto, the 2025 XCO vice-world champion, headlines the men's cross-country contingent. His silver medal performance last year, finishing behind South Africa's Alan Hatherly, marked Italy's highest Elite XCO finish in over a decade. Avondetto enters the Val di Sole championships in solid form, having claimed the 2026 Italian Elite XCO national title and posted fifth-place finishes at World Cup rounds in Lenzerheide and Andorra this season.
In the women's cross-country field, Martina Berta arrives as Italy's strongest podium contender. She delivered a breakthrough performance in July at a World Cup stop in La Thuile, Valle d'Aosta, where she achieved a strong finish and brought Italy notable success in women's XCO racing. Berta currently sits third in the overall World Cup standings and has maintained consistent top-10 finishes throughout 2026.
Valentina Corvi, who took bronze in the Under 23 XCO at the 2025 Worlds, returns with ambitions to upgrade her medal color. Her dominant early-season form in the U23 category positions her as a serious threat in the Team Relay event, scheduled for 5:00 PM on August 26, where Italy will seek to improve on its silver medal from last year. The 2025 Team Relay squad—Berta, Corvi, and Juri Zanotti—all return for the 2026 edition.
Downhill: European Champions Eye Global Titles
Italy's gravity racing contingent arrives in Daolasa di Commezzadura with fresh momentum from last week's European Championships, where the squad collected five medals. Gloria Scarsi and Loris Revelli, the new continental champions, will tackle the legendary Black Snake downhill course during the championships, with Elite races scheduled for Saturday, August 29, at 1:20 PM (women) and 3:00 PM (men).
Silver medalists from the European event—Veronika Widmann and Stefano Introzzi—round out the Elite downhill roster, while junior racer Filippo Gilardino, who claimed European silver in his category, will compete in the Junior Men's race at 10:00 AM on Saturday.
The Italian downhill program faces formidable international opposition. Austria's Valentina Höll, winner of four consecutive world titles between 2022 and 2025, remains the dominant force in women's gravity racing. Meanwhile, the United States has deployed a 49-rider squad that includes downhill specialist Luca Shaw and cross-country Olympian Christopher Blevins.
International Field and Medal Forecasts
France arrives as the defending overall champion, having topped the 2025 medal table with nine rainbow jerseys and 19 total podiums. French rider Luca Martin currently leads the 2026 Elite Men's XCO World Cup rankings as of mid-August, while Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, the Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist, anchors the women's program.
Switzerland, second in the 2025 medal count with 14 podiums, brings legendary cross-country racer Nino Schurter, widely considered the most successful XCO athlete in history. The Swiss women's squad leads the UCI national team rankings in the Elite and U23 combined classification.
Multidisciplinary stars Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) and Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) loom as wild cards in the men's Elite XCO race on Sunday afternoon. Both athletes have won Olympic and world championship medals in cyclo-cross and road cycling, and either could claim the XCO rainbow jersey if they prioritize mountain biking over late-season road objectives.
What This Means for Italian Cycling
Hosting the World Championships on home soil provides a rare advantage for Italian athletes, particularly on Val di Sole's technical terrain, where course knowledge and altitude adaptation play significant roles. The Daolasa venue has hosted multiple World Cups and is familiar territory for the national team, which regularly trains at altitude in Trentino.
The event also serves as a showcase for Italy's emerging junior talent. With European junior medalists like Gilardino gaining international exposure, the Italian federation's development pipeline appears robust heading into the next Olympic cycle.
From a local perspective, the championships represent a major tourism and economic event for Trentino. The region expects tens of thousands of spectators across five competition days, with the opening ceremony scheduled for Tuesday evening, August 26, at 6:00 PM.
Competition Schedule Breakdown
When the championships begin on August 26, racing will start with E-MTB Cross-country world titles at 10:00 AM (women) and 11:30 AM (men), followed by the Team Relay at 5:00 PM, where Italy will defend its 2025 silver medal.
Thursday, August 27, features Short Track (XCC) races across all categories, with Elite finals scheduled for 5:45 PM (women) and 6:30 PM (men). The fast-paced XCC format rewards explosive power and tactical positioning over repeated short laps.
Friday, August 28, and Saturday, August 29, are dedicated to Downhill qualifying and finals, with the Elite men's final serving as the marquee event Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM.
The championships conclude Sunday, August 30, with Cross-country Olympic (XCO) races, the discipline's marquee format. Under 23 races begin at 9:00 AM, followed by Elite women at 1:00 PM and Elite men at 3:15 PM. These endurance tests run 90-plus minutes on technical loops featuring steep climbs, rock gardens, and root sections that punish mechanical errors.
Broadcast and Access Information
Italian audiences can follow all elite-category racing live on RAI public television and Eurosport, with Short Track, Downhill, and Elite XCO races receiving priority coverage. The UCI also streams qualifying rounds and junior categories via its digital platforms.
Track walk for the Black Snake downhill course will open Wednesday at 8:00 AM for registered athletes and accredited media, offering a final opportunity for riders to inspect line choices and brake zones before Friday's qualifying runs.
With 17 world titles at stake and Italy fielding competitive athletes across multiple disciplines, the Val di Sole championships could mark a breakthrough moment for Italian mountain biking—or underscore the depth of international competition in gravity and endurance disciplines.
