Great Britain has finalised its squads for the upcoming UCI Road World Championships, where Tom Pidcock, Zoe Bäckstedt, and Cat Ferguson will lead the charge for rainbow jerseys in Montréal, Canada.
GB is one of the last major nations to announce its line-ups for the eight days of racing that begin this coming Sunday, but it has now revealed what performance director Stephen Park describes as "a highly competitive squad".
Tom Pidcock leads the line in the elite men's road race, the 27-year-old star a genuine contender in a field blown open by the absence of the reigning champion Tadej Pogačar.
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Adam Yates, a decorated hilly Classics rider and a teammate of Pogačar's at UAE Team Emirates-XRG, will also enjoy a protected leadership role, while the rest of the squad is geared towards support roles.
Oscar Onley has been included after placing fifth overall at the Vuelta a España, as has a breakout star from the Spanish Grand Tour, Callum Thornley, who came within a whisker of winning the stage 18 time trial.
National road race champion Fred Wright has made the boat, as have Mark Donovan, Finlay Pickering, and James Shaw.
Ethan Hayter, who almost beat Pogačar to win the short opening time trial at the Vuelta, has also been included in the elite men's squad but only for the time trial, where Thornley will take the other of the two spots.
As for the elite women's squad, Backstedt takes aim at both the road race and the time trial as she steps up to the elite level for the first time at the World Championships. Still only 21, she pulled off the junior road race and time trial world title double in 2022, and she won the U23 time trial world title last year. Now, she steps up to lead the line at the highest level.
Backstedt is joined in the elite women's road race squad by Lauren Dickson, who has impressed in the service of Demi Vollering at FDJ United-SUEZ this season, and by the former Paris-Roubaix podium finisher Pfeiffer Georgi. Josie Nelson, Flora Perkins, and Anna Henderson round out the six-woman road race squad.
Despite being the Olympic silver medallist in the discipline, Henderson will not take the second time trial spot alongside Bäckstedt; instead that goes to a surprise selection in Anna Morris. The Welshwoman is primarily known for her exploits on the track and doesn't ride for an international road team, but was second in the national championships time trial in June and has earned a call-up to her first Road World Championships at the age of 31.
The big British prospect, Cat Ferguson returns to action after a long injury lay-off to target rainbow jerseys in the U23 ranks. Ferguson did the road race - time trial double at junior level in 2024, two years after Bäckstedt, and turned pro with Movistar the following year.
Her 2026 campaign started strongly, but she has not raced since fracturing her ankle on the opening day of the Giro d'Italia Women in late May.
In the men's U23 ranks, Ben Wiggins will ride the time trial as well as the road race, where Elliot Rowe, who was the best young rider at the recent Tour of Britain, is one to watch.
Great Britain's squad in full
Elite Men
- Mark Donovan
- Ethan Hayter (time trial only)
- Oscar Onley
- Finlay Pickering
- Tom Pidcock
- James Shaw
- Callum Thornley (road race + time trial)
- Fred Wright
- Adam Yates
Elite Women
- Zoe Bäckstedt (road race + time trial)
- Lauren Dickson
- Pfeiffer Georgi
- Anna Henderson
- Anna Morris (time trial only)
- Josie Nelson
- Flora Perkins
U23 Men
- Jacob Bush
- Mattie Dodd
- Elliot Rowe
- Will Smith
- Ben Wiggins
U23 Women
- Cat Ferguson
- Abi Miller
- Awen Roberts
- Imogen Wolff
- Morven Yeoman
Junior Men
- Leon Atkins
- Gus Dutton
- Finlay Storrie
- Dexter Townsend
- Evander Wishart
Junior Women
- Aalia Clay
- Peggy Knox
- Gabby McHugh
- Zoe Roche
- Melanie Rowe
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