Pidcock wins second mountain bike world title in British one-two

Tom Pidcock of Great Britain won his second men's elite cross-country mountain bike world title on Sunday, August 30, 2026, in Val di Sole, Italy, delivering a dominant performance to complete a British one-two finish with teammate Charlie Aldridge. The victory came just five weeks after Pidcock finished ninth overall at the Tour de France. Pidcock, a two-time Olympic champion, dedicated the win to the family of British cyclist Finlay Tarling, who died at age 19 following an accident during the Volta a Portugal earlier in August. "I just want to dedicate this win to Fin Tarling and to Josh, seeing him start the Vuelta was incredible, so I want to dedicate this to his family," Pidcock said in a post-race interview. Starting 35th on the grid, Pidcock methodically worked his way through the field. By the end of the fourth of eight laps, he had joined the leading group. After a brief setback on lap five when he was forced to put a foot down after catching his tire on a root, Pidcock recovered and launched a decisive attack on lap six. He broke away from the lead group, which included Aldridge, Chile's Martín Vidaurre, Canada's Cole Punchard, and France's Adrien Boichis.