Pidcock dedicates Val di Sole world title to Fin Tarling

Tom Pidcock won the cross-country world title at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy, on 30 August 2026 and paid an emotional tribute to Fin Tarling after the victory.

British cyclist Fin Tarling, 19, died after an accident during the Volta a Portugal earlier this month. The 27-year-old Pidcock is a two-time Olympic champion. He was a last-minute entrant after finishing ninth in this year's Tour de France.

Pidcock finished 17 seconds clear of Great Britain team-mate Charlie Aldridge, with Canada's Cole Punchard claiming third. He completed the race in a time of one hour 25 minutes and 26 seconds. Pidcock accelerated clear of Aldridge on lap seven of eight.

After his move on the penultimate lap he embraced the crowd and lifted his bike at the finish line. "I crashed pretty badly in practice on Friday and my back was hurting from the first lap. The last two laps I just had to push and stretch that gap before a final sprint. That was a pretty hard race," he added.

Speaking after the race, Pidcock said: "I want to dedicate this win to Fin Tarling and Josh [Tarling] - seeing him start the Vuelta was pretty incredible. "I want to dedicate this to him and his family."

Switzerland's Sina Frei won the women's cross-country title, with Great Britain's Evie Richards crossing in sixth place. Both races took place in Val di Sole.

He won mountain bike gold at the Paris Olympics. The victory added to his 2023 world title that he won in Scotland.