In an announcement concurrent with this week’s 2023 UCI Para-Cycling World Championships, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) awarded Huntsville, Alabama, the 2026 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships. The event will take place from Sept. 4-7, 2026, in Cummings Research Park and will mark the first time it has been hosted in the United States since 2014.
The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce held a press conference today to formally announce the event to its community.
“On behalf of U.S. Paralympics Cycling, we are extremely excited that the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships will once again be held here in the United States,” said Ian Lawless, Director of U.S. Paralympics Cycling. “Huntsville, Alabama has successfully hosted numerous Para-cycling events and proven itself to be one of the most sought-after venues in the world for the sport, and we cannot wait to return to the supportive community.”
The UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships brings together hundreds of athletes from around the world for four days of competition. The competition is divided into three events including: time trial, road race and mixed team relay. Athletes compete in the divisions of cycle, handbike, tricycle and tandem.
Huntsville successfully hosted the 2021 U.S. Paralympics Cycling Open, the 2022 U.S. Paralympics Cycling Open, and most recently, the 2023 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup, which was the first-ever Para-cycling world cup held in the United States.
“Our athletes have said over and over how much they felt the support of this community every time they return to Huntsville, and it means the world to them,” said Julie Dussliere, chief of Paralympics & internally managed sports at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). “We are so excited to return here in 2026 to put on an even bigger and better show for this community and nations from around the world.”
The last time the U.S. hosted the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships was in 2014 in Greenville, South Carolina.
“Our community is up for this new challenge, and we can’t wait to have the athletes come back,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. “We loved to watch them compete. Our city is proud and thankful for the opportunity to host them again.”
The 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships are taking place in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, from Aug. 9-13, following the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Glasgow (Aug. 3-8). Both events are part of the first combined UCI Cycling World Championships held in Glasgow and across Scotland and bringing together 13 different UCI World Championships.
Twenty-two athletes, including 11 who have raced at a Paralympic Games and eight former UCI World Champions, will compete for Team USA in this year’s competition. To learn more about the 2026 UCI Para-cycling Road Championships, please click here.
Credit: US Olympics
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