4 September 2026 - Para cycling World Championships starts today !

In Huntsville Alabama-USA the 2026 UCI World Championships will start Friday 4 September and will take place till 7 September 2026. The competition will showcase Individual Time Trial and Road Race for all Para Cycling divisions and Mixed H1-5 Team Relay. The races can be watch live on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@ucichannel

Photo Australia Cycling Team Lauren Parker arriving as the number 1!

With around 348 athletes from 49 countries competing in this World championships It will once again be a challenge for the many participants to demonstrate their best performance.

The 2026 UCI World Championships will be the fifth para cycling competition that Huntsville has hosted. The athletes who are coming have competed in three rounds of the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup this year (in Thailand, Belgium, and Italy) so far.

The UCI World Championships in Huntsville will also count towards qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games.

Time trials are Friday and Saturday, September 4-5, and road races are Sunday and Monday, September 6-7.  the World Championships will conclude on Monday night with the mixed team relay. The team relay will be nine laps of a 2.1-kilometre punchy course. Each lap will have 76m of elevation gain. The road races will unfold on a fast, rolling 13.8km circuit with (76m of elevation gain) around Cummings Research Park. Riders will complete between two and eight laps of the circuit – for a total distance of 27.6km to 110.4km – depending on their sport class.

Tara Neyland celebrates

Among the 11-strong Australian squad racing from September 4-7 are four dual world champions who will be out to defend their road and time trial world titles from 2025. Parasport Support wishes all participants all the best during the Para cycling 2026 World Championships.

Para cycling sport classes

• C – Cycle: conventional bike with adaptations if necessary

• T – Tricycle: three-wheeled bike

• B – Tandem: for visually impaired athletes with sighted pilot

• H – Handcycle

These groups are divided into different sport classes – C (1-5), T (1-2) and H (1-5) –, with the lower the number indicating a higher level of impairment.

ARA Australian Cycling Team

Men    

•              Grant Allen – H4 (Inside Line Inc/SA)

•              Alistair Donohoe – C5 (Blackburn CC/VIC) 

•              Darren Hicks – C2 (Norwood CC/SA)

•              Alex Welsh – H3 (Lifecycle Cycling Club/QLD)

Women   

•              Tahlia Clayton-Goodie – C1 (Geelong and Surf Coast CC/VIC)  

•              Alana Forster – C5 (Ballarat Sebastopol CC/VIC)

•              Meg Lemon – C4 (Port Adelaide CC/SA) 

•              Emma Mickle – C3 (Southern Masters CC/VIC) 

•              Tara Neyland – C4 (Brunswick CC/VIC)  

•              Lauren Parker – H3 (Newcastle Hunter CC/NSW) 

•              Emily Petricola – C3 (St Kilda CC/VIC)

Photos: Australian Cycling Team