Tom Pidcock, Lauren Dickson and Zoe Bäckstedt will lead the British charge for rainbow glory at the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Montréal, it was announced on Tuesday.
British Cycling revealed a 36-rider squad for the elite, under-23 and junior time trials and road races in Canada, with the Worlds beginning this Sunday, with the elite individual time trials.
There will be genuine hope for medals, with Pidcock in form, with two top 10 finishes at the GPs de Québec and Montréal last weekend, after he won the MTB Worlds earlier this month. He is aiming to win the elite men’s road race, which takes place 27 September, with able support from Oscar Onley, recently best young rider at the Vuelta a España, and Adam Yates, a previous winner of the GP de Montréal.
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Bäckstedt is currently one of the best time triallists in the world, winning four this season; the former under-23 and junior TT world champion will be aiming to at least podium. She will be joined in the road race by Dickson, who won her first pro race last weekend, stage four of the Faun Tour Femmes. The 26-year-old has impressed in her first full season at Women’s WorldTour level, finishing third overall at Itzulia, and coming close to the top 10 at the Giro d’Italia Women.
The squad for the under-23 women’s race, an individual event for a second year, includes Cat Ferguson, who hasn’t raced since breaking her ankle at the Giro; the former junior world champion is part of a team which also includes Imogen Wolff.
Meanwhile, the elite men’s time trial will be raced by two riders who podiumed in TTs at the recent Vuelta a España: Callum Thornley and Ethan Hayter.
“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,” Stephen Park, GBCT performance director, said.
“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.”
Full GB lineup for UCI Road World Championships 2026
Elite Men
Oscar Onley
Tom Pidcock
Finlay Pickering
Adam Yates
Fred Wright
Mark Donovan
James Shaw
Callum Thornley (TT)
Ethan Hayter (TT)
Elite Women
Anna Henderson
Anna Morris (TT)
Flora Perkins
Lauren Dickson
Pfeiffer Georgi
Zoe Bäckstedt (TT)
U23 Men
Ben Wiggins
Mattie Dodd
Elliot Rowe
Will Smith
Jacob Bush
U23 Women
Awen Roberts
Abi Miller
Cat Ferguson
Imogen Wolff
Morven Yeoman
Junior Men
Finlay Storrie
Evander Wishart
Leon Atkins
Dexter Townsend
Gus Dutton
Junior Women
Aalia Clay
Gabriella McHugh
Peggy Knox
Melanie Rowe
Zoe Roche
