Downhill, XC and e-mtb World Champs, here's how to catch the racing live
The Mountain Bike World Championships is upon us and the big news is that Tom Pidcock has all but won the XCO race already, after emphatically taking Olympic gold just a month ago in Paris.
Before I get too carried away, there is the matter of the actual race to watch, alongside the downhill, XC short course and e-bike World Championships, in what is guaranteed to be an amazing week of racing on knobbly tyres. Here’s how to watch the live stuff, when it’s all taking place, and who’s racing for Team GB.
And to get you in the mood for racing, just remind yourself how Pidcock won Gold in the Paris Olympics, and four years earlier stormed onto the world scene winning in Tokyo.
Pal Arinsal’s DH track is in the high mountains, meaning it’s exposed to unpredictable weather Credit: Red Bull
When are the World Champs?
The Worlds start with the E-MTB World Championships on Wednesday 28th and finish with the cross country on Sunday 1st September. I’ve put together a comprehensive list of what to follow and when down below at the bottom of this story, but the elite finals are as follows…
Wednesday 28th August (local times apply, so -1 hour for UK, -6 hours for Eastern Time)
13.30 Women E-MTB World Championships
15.00 Men E-MTB World Championships
Friday 30th August
17h30 Women Elite Cross-country Short Track World Championships
18h15 Men Elite Cross-country Short Track World Championships
Saturday 31st
12h30 Women Elite Downhill World Championships
14h00 Men Elite Downhill World Championships
Sunday 1st September
13h30 Women Elite Cross-country Olympic World Championships
15h30 Men Elite Cross-country Olympic World Championships
Vali Holl is odds on to win the women’s elite DH
Where can I watch the action?
The BBC says it’ll be live streaming the men’s and women’s elite downhill and XCO racing, although when coverage starts hasn’t been confirmed yet.
The BBC has geo restrictions on it though, meaning if you’re outside the UK you’ll struggle to watch it. The best way round this is via a VPN like Nord VPN, so you can watch the Wolrd Champs finals anywhere in the world for free.
There’s a lot more to the Worlds than just the elite finals though, the juniors always put on a great show and the DHI qualies are really interesting you’ll need a subscription to Discovery+ for this. Don’t rush out and get one just yet because we’ve no idea what’s actually going to be shown and when, because it’s yet to be confirmed. There are also rumours YouTube will be showing some of the action live, so hold off splashing any cash just yet.
Where are the World Championships taking place?
Last year it was Glentress and Fort William, in the first combined Worlds. This year it’s Pal Arinsal in Andorra, the second time the Worlds have visited, with Loic Bruni and Rachael Atherton winning in 2015. One of those is a clear favourite this year too, but more on that later.
There are two distinct race areas, the Fontanals for downhill and the Caubella for the XC and e-bike Worlds.
Tom Pidcock came third in Andorra last year at the World Cup… can he better that in 2024?
What’s the XC course like?
The course covers some 4km through the Pal Arinsal Bike Park, there have been some changes to it for 2024 but it looks pretty similar to the 2023 World Cup course to us. That means its rooty, rocky and pretty technical, just as a World Cup course should be. Last year at the World Cup it was rainy and muddy, which really made the rock gardens and off-camber sections treacherous, meaning the race was tilted in favour of the more skilful riders.
And the DH track?
Pretty similar, but much more vertical of course. In 2023 for the World Cup the course was rough as anything, with plenty of blown out turns and big ruts to thread the bike through. Half way through the men’s finals last year the rain came down and spoilt the race somewhat, turning the track into an icerink… we’re hoping for more even conditions this time around.
The downhill course is rough and fast at the top of the track
Who’s riding for Team GB?
There are 39 athletes racing in Team GB colours, and I think the chances of medals are really high. Annie Last, Evie Richards and Isla Short are the elite women, while Charlie Aldridge, Cameron Orr and Thomas Pidcock will race men’s elite.
In downhill Team GB has eight men’s elite qualified riders: Joe Breeden, Laurie Greenland, Danny Hart, current world champion Charlie Hatton, Bernard Kerr, Matt Walker, Greg Williamson, and former world champion Reece Wilson.
For the elite women it’s Louise-Anna Ferguson, Stacey Fisher, Phoebe Gale, Harriet Harnden, Aimi Kenyon, Mikayla Parton, and Tahnée Seagrave.
Full schedule
Wednesday 28th
11am Qualies for DHI for men’s and women’s juniors
13.30 Women E-MTB World Championships
15.00 Men E-MTB World Championships
Thursday 29th
11.00 Women Junior Downhill World Championships
11.45 Men Junior Downhill World Championships
15.45 Downhill Qualifications, elite men and women
Friday 30th
10.00 Women Juniors Cross-country Olympic World Championships
12.00 Men Juniors Cross-country Olympic World Championships
16h00 Women U23 Cross-country Short Track World Championships
16h45 Men U23 Cross-country Short Track World Championships
17h30 Women Elite Cross-country Short Track World Championships
18h15 Men Elite Cross-country Short Track World Championships
Saturday 31st
12h30 Women Elite Downhill World Championships
14h00 Men Elite Downhill World Championships
Sunday 1st September
9h00 Women Under 23 Cross-country Olympic World Championships
11h00 Men Under 23 Cross-country Olympic World Championships
13h30 Women Elite Cross-country Olympic World Championships
15h30 Men Elite Cross-country Olympic World Championships
Nord VPN details
Setting up a VPN is simple – just download, install, open the app and select your location.
Try out Nord VPN for its speed, security and simplicity to use. It is also compatible with a range of devices and streaming services (e.g. Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, PS4, etc.), giving you the option to watch wherever you want.
Who’ll be on the top step and claim the rainbow stripes is anyone’s guess
A VPN is a piece of software which offers both online privacy and ability to change your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV like you would back at home while in another country. There are other great options out there, of course, and plenty of free VPNs but our sister site TechRadar recommends the paid-for ExpressVPN, giving it a 4.5 star rating.