Track Cycling World Championships 2026: Shanghai Hosts 22 Rainbow Jerseys Across Five Days

• 2026-10-14
• Technology
• News Desk

The 2026 UCI Track Cycling World Championships will be staged at the Shanghai Velodrome in China from Wednesday, October 14, to Sunday, October 18, with 22 rainbow jerseys up for grabs across sprint and endurance disciplines. Eleven men's and 11 women's titles will be decided over five days of competition, spanning events from the team pursuit to the Madison.

Richardson out, Lavreysen the man to beat

Britain's Matt Richardson has been withdrawn from the championships by British Cycling for misconduct, leaving Dutch multiple world and Olympic champion Harrie Lavreysen as the clear favourite for the men's sprint events. Lavreysen is targeting further titles in the Sprint, Team Sprint and Keirin.

In the women's sprint disciplines, Britain's Olympic gold medallist Emma Finucane starts as the leading contender in all three events. She is expected to face pressure from Japan's Mina Sato and Dutch rider Hetty van de Wouw, who is regarded as a rising force on the track.

Phinney returns after 16 years

The endurance programme will mark the return of American Taylor Phinney, who last rode the championships in 2010, when he won gold in the 4km pursuit. Sixteen years on, and seven years after retiring from the professional road peloton, he has joined the United States team pursuit squad with the aim of representing his country at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

The Americans face a difficult task to reach the podium, with Australia, Denmark, New Zealand and Great Britain among the leading contenders for the top placings.

Free-to-air coverage across Europe

Viewers in the United Kingdom and several other European countries will be able to follow the championships through free-to-air broadcasts. The BBC holds full coverage of the event in the UK.

Other free options across Europe include ZDF in Germany, France TV in France, RaiPlay in Italy, RTVE Play in Spain, VRT and RTBF Auvio in Belgium, NOS in the Netherlands, SRG in Switzerland and TV 2 in Denmark. Countries without a dedicated broadcaster can watch via the UCI's YouTube channel at no cost.

Subscription options in the UK, US, Canada and Australia

In the UK, the BBC will show the championships live and on demand on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. TNT Sports will also stream coverage daily, available on the HBO Max platform at £30.99 per month, or £25.99 under a 12-month saver plan, with streams spread across the TNT Sports channels.

Cycling fans in the United States can watch on FloBikes, at US$155.88 for a year or US$39.99 monthly. Canadian viewers also use FloBikes, priced at CA$200 annually or CA$39.99 per month. In Australia, Stan Sport will carry the event, with Stan prices starting at AU$9.99 per month plus a sport add-on of AU$20.

Opening day schedule

All times are Shanghai local, seven hours ahead of British Summer Time, 12 hours ahead of US Eastern Time and 15 hours ahead of US Pacific Time. Day one on Wednesday, October 14 opens with women's team pursuit qualifying at 10:30, followed by men's team pursuit qualifying at 12:29, women's team sprint qualifying at 14:33 and men's team sprint qualifying at 15:30.

The championships bring the sport's leading track riders together at a venue in Asia, with the sprint events drawing particular attention after Richardson's withdrawal. For European audiences, the breadth of free-to-air coverage means the event is likely to reach a wide audience, while the return of Phinney gives the endurance competition an additional storyline ahead of the LA28 cycle.