Pidcock Wins First XCO World Title to Complete Set

Tom Pidcock won his second elite men's cross-country world title in Val di Sole, charging from deep in the field to finish in 1:25:26 and lead a British one-two with Charlie Aldridge.

From the fifth row to the front

The two-time Olympic champion started far back on the grid and sat around 32nd after the opening loop. He moved through the field steadily on the punchy 3.5-kilometre circuit, which packed 155 metres of climbing into each lap.

He attacked hard up the first climb on lap six and took the lead for the first time. Aldridge stayed with him longest, even edging ahead on a 4X descent, before Pidcock powered clear on the big climb and crossed the line 17 seconds ahead.

Three years, two rainbow jerseys

The win adds a second XCO world title to his palmarès, three years after his 2023 triumph. His 2026 mountain bike season stays near perfect: two World Cup XCO starts, two wins, now a world championship on a course that last hosted the event five years ago.

Aldridge held off Canada's Cole Punchard for silver, while Dutch rival Mathieu van der Poel faded to 30th. Van der Poel was chasing the one rainbow jersey missing from his collection.

"I'm exhausted, it was a very hard race and the way back to the top was demanding," Pidcock told the UCI. He also dedicated the win to Finlay Tarling, who died after a crash at the Volta a Portugal, and his brother Josh.

The rainbow jersey sits beside his Olympic golds from Tokyo and Paris. After the race Pidcock said he will step back from mountain bike racing in 2027, returning only for the Olympic Games.