Great Britain will take a 20-rider squad to the 2026 Tissot UCI Track World Championships in Shanghai from 14-18 October, combining seven world champions and seven Olympic medallists with a group of younger riders beginning to push towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle.
Nine riders in the selection will be making either their first or second appearance at an elite Track World Championships, with the event also carrying added importance as the first track qualification event on the road to LA 2028.
The squad includes established Olympic names such as Emma Finucane, Sophie Capewell, Matt Richardson, Ethan Vernon and Josie Knight, but much of the focus in Shanghai will be on the next group coming through the Great Britain Cycling Team pathway.
Ledingham-Horn and Lowe lead the next sprint group
Harry Ledingham-Horn returns to the world stage after a strong summer in which he won team sprint silver and keirin bronze at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. He already has an elite World Championships team sprint silver medal from 2025 and will again form part of a four-rider men’s sprint group in Shanghai.
Ed Lowe will make his elite World Championships debut despite already being an Olympic silver medallist from Paris 2024. Joe Truman and Matt Richardson complete the men’s sprint selection, with Richardson returning from injury after winning two European titles earlier in the year.
Parris-Smith and Thomas add depth behind Finucane and Capewell
Rhianna Parris-Smith and Lowri Thomas are the newer names in the women’s sprint group. Parris-Smith came into cycling from athletics and has quickly progressed through the British programme, collecting European, world and Commonwealth medals on the way.
Thomas has represented Wales at two Commonwealth Games and won women’s team sprint gold this summer alongside Emma Finucane and Rhian Edmunds. Finucane and Olympic champion Sophie Capewell complete a squad that mixes two established international leaders with two riders still early in their senior careers.
Photo Credit: SWPix.comHenry and Noah Hobbs selected together in men’s endurance squad
Brothers Henry and Noah Hobbs are both included in the men’s endurance group. Henry will make his elite World Championships debut after winning Commonwealth Games gold in both the team pursuit and scratch race for England, alongside bronze in the elimination.
Noah returns for his second elite worlds after a road season in Europe that has included two stage victories and a series of top-10 finishes. Matt Bostock, who rejoined the Great Britain programme in late 2024 with LA 2028 ambitions, is also selected following a strong domestic road season.
They join Ethan Vernon, Mark Stewart and Ollie Wood, giving Great Britain a men’s endurance squad with a clear split between experienced medal winners and riders still establishing themselves at this level.
Photo Credit: SWPix.comCouzens, Boothman and Miller make elite worlds debuts
The women’s endurance selection contains three elite World Championships debutants in Millie Couzens, Erin Boothman and Abi Miller.
Couzens was part of Great Britain’s team pursuit gold at the European Track Championships earlier this year and also won individual pursuit bronze. Boothman arrives after winning Commonwealth Games bronze medals in both the scratch race and individual pursuit for Scotland.
Miller is the youngest rider in the entire Great Britain squad at 18. She steps into the elite team only a year after becoming a junior world champion in the team pursuit in 2025.
Meg Barker, Josie Knight and Anna Morris provide the senior experience. Morris has already established herself as one of Britain’s leading endurance riders and will again be expected to contribute across both team and individual events.
Photo Credit: SWPix.comStephen Park points to depth in British pathway
Great Britain Cycling Team performance director Stephen Park said the selection underlined the importance of Shanghai in the build towards Los Angeles.
“As the first track qualification event for the LA 2028 Olympic Games, this event is a crucial stepping stone on our path towards the biggest event in our calendar,” Park said.
He also pointed to the number of riders progressing through the British system, with more than half of the selected squad having been part of the Performance Pathway during their development.
“With over half of this squad having been part of our Performance Pathway at some point in their development and nine of the twenty riders representing for the first or second time, it demonstrates both the current strength of our programme and the incredible depth of talent pushing through for the future.”
Great Britain squad for the 2026 UCI Track World Championships
Men’s sprint
Harry Ledingham-Horn
Ed Lowe
Matt Richardson
Joe Truman
Women’s sprint
Sophie Capewell
Emma Finucane
Rhianna Parris-Smith
Lowri Thomas
Men’s endurance
Matt Bostock
Henry Hobbs
Noah Hobbs
Mark Stewart
Ethan Vernon
Ollie Wood
Women’s endurance
Erin Boothman
Megan Barker
Millie Couzens
Josie Knight
Abi Miller
Anna Morris
How to watch the 2026 UCI Track World Championships on the BBC
The championships take place at the Shanghai Velodrome from Wednesday 14 October to Sunday 18 October. BBC coverage is scheduled across iPlayer and BBC Two throughout the five days.
Wednesday 14 October: BBC iPlayer, 11:20-13:40
Thursday 15 October: BBC iPlayer, 09:50-13:55
Friday 16 October: BBC iPlayer, 09:50-14:05
Saturday 17 October: BBC iPlayer, 10:20-14:05; BBC Two, 10:15-14:15 and 18:00-19:30
Sunday 18 October: BBC Two, 06:30-10:30
