The UCI MTB World Championships are next week, and Britain will be fielding a decent squad across the age groups in XC and DH.
This year’s World Champs are taking place in Pal Arinsal, Andorra. There will be titles up for grabs in Cross-Country XCO Short-Track and Relay, plus E-MTB, and Downhill.
2024 MTB World Championship schedule
(Times shown are UK)
Wednesday August 28
- Women Elite E-MTB, 2:30pm
- Men Elite E-MTB, 4:00pm
- Team Relay XC, 6:00pm
Thursday August 29
- Women Junior Downhill, 12:00pm
- Men Junior Downhill, 12:45pm
Friday August 30
- Women Junior XCO, 11:00am
- Men Junior XCO, 1:00pm
- Women U23 Short Track, 5:00pm
- Men U23 Short Track, 5:45pm
- Women Elite Short Track, 6:30pm
- Men Elite Short Track, 7:15pm
Saturday August 31
- Women Elite Downhill, 1:30pm
- Men Elite Downhill, 3:00pm
Sunday September 1
- Women U23 XCO, 10:00am
- Men U23 XCO, 12:00pm
- Women Elite XCO, 2:30pm
- Men Elite XCO, 4:30pm
Great Britain squad for the 2024 UCI MTB World Championships
Cross-country
Elite men
- Charlie Aldridge
- Cameron Orr
- Thomas Pidcock
Under-23 men
- Joseph Blackmore
- Max Greensill
Junior men
- Alex Hart
- Innes McDonald
- Max Standen
Elite women
- Annie Last
- Evie Richards
- Isla Short
Under-23 women
- Ella Maclean-Howell
Junior women
- Bethany-Ann Jackson
- Madeline Moorhouse-Smith
- Evie Strachan
- Daisy Taylor
Downhill
Elite men
- Joe Breeden
- Laurie Greenland
- Danny Hart
- Charlie Hatton
- Bernard Kerr
- Matt Walker
- Greg Williamson
- Reece Wilson
Elite women
- Louise-Anna Ferguson
- Stacey Fisher
- Phoebe Gale
- Harriet Harnden
- Aimi Kenyon
- Mikayla Parton
- Tahnée Seagrave
Junior men
- Rudi Eichhorn
- Will Haines
- Noa Hirst Walker
- Oscar Griffiths
- George Madley
- Daniel Parfitt
- Billy Pugh
Junior women
- Heather Wilson
Watch it for free on The Beeb
As well being broadcast on Eurosport/Warner/Discovery+ like the World Cup races, live coverage of the World Champs will also be streamed of the Elite Downhill and XCO via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
British Cycling press release:
STAR STUDDED LINE-UP TO REPRESENT GREAT BRITAIN AT 2024 UCI MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
British Cycling can announce the 39-strong team representing Great Britain at the 2024 UCI MTB World Championships in Par Arinsal, Andorra, from Wednesday 28 August to Sunday 1 September.
With riders competing in the cross-country Olympic, cross-country short track and downhill disciplines, the star-studded line-up includes two-time Olympic champion Tom Pidcock, reigning world champion Charlie Hatton and world cup winner Heather Wilson.
Cross-country
Fresh from winning his second Olympic gold medal, reigning world champion Tom Pidcock spearheads a strong cross-country squad all vying for a chance to win a rainbow jersey. Pidcock will be joined in the elite men’s category by fellow Olympian Charlie Aldridge and national XCO champion Cameron Orr. In the under-23 races, elite short track national champion Max Greensill will be hunting for a world championships medal alongside Joseph Blackmore, who has had a successful road season with multiple podiums.
In the elite women’s category, fifth-place Paris 2024 finisher Evie Richards will look to reclaim her title from 2021, with current national champion and 2017 world championships silver medallist Annie Last also taking to the start-line alongside Scottish national champion Isla Short. Ella Maclean-Howell will be the sole under-23 women’s rider, with a fantastic season under her belt which included taking the national title and making her Olympic debut.
In the junior categories, short-track national champions Evie Strachan and Innes McDonald will be joined by XCO national champions Max Standen and Bethany-Ann Jackson, as well as Alex Hart, Madeline Moorhouse-Smith and Daisy Taylor who have all had successful seasons on the national and international circuit.
Downhill
Charlie Hatton will be hoping to defend his world title after a breathtaking performance at Fort William last year having already taken a National Championship silver medal and national series win this year. Last year’s World Championship bronze medallist Laurie Greenland who also has a silver from 2016 on his CV, will be another chasing gold in Andorra.
Other previous world champions lining up in the elite men’s category include Reece Wilson and Danny Hart, as well as multiple national champion Matt Walker. Joining them will be Bernard Kerr who has had an exceptional season with two Red Bull Hardline podiums, while Joe Breeden and Greg Williamson will also be lining up in the hunt for world status.
Five-time world medallist Tahnée Seagrave will be one of the favorites in the elite women’s category. Ranked fourth in the world so far this season, Seagrave has a number of world cup downhill podiums on her palmares in 2024. She will be joined on the start line by national champion Hattie Harnden, who has had five world cup podiums in the enduro category this season, and Louise-Anna Ferguson who finished fourth in the world last year. Other ones to watch include riders Stacey Fisher, Phoebe Gale, Mikayla Parton and Aimi Kenyon.
Heather Wilson spearheads the junior line-up, with a national title and three world cup wins to her name this year. Fellow national champion George Madley will be racing in the junior men’s category with Rudi Eichhorn, Will Haines, Noa Hirst Walker, Oscar Griffiths, Daniel Parfitt and Billy Pugh.
