Huntsville to host Para-cycling Road World Championships in 2026

After the success of the 2023 Union Cycliste Internationale Para-cycling Road World Cup round recently hosted in Huntsville over the Memorial Day holiday, Huntsville has been chosen to host the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in 2026.

The UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships is held just once per year, and Huntsville will be only the seconf U.S> location ever to host the event.

A big win for Huntsville and the para-cycling sport

This premier event will bring approximately 600 of the world’s top athletes — along with their support staff and families — to Huntsville over Labor Day weekend, September 4-7, 2026.

The 2026 UCI Para-cycling World Championships will be held in Cummings Research Park, and the daily competition schedule will include time trials and road races with different types of cycles, including two-wheeled cycles, handcycles, tandems and tricycles.

This competition will be much larger than the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup round recently hosted in Huntsville in May. The recent UCI World Cup featured 350 elite athletes from 40 countries who competed in different types of Para-cycling races.

“Our community is up for this new challenge, and we can’t wait to have the athletes come back. We loved to watch them compete. Our city is proud and thankful for the opportunity to host them again.”

Mayor Tommy Battle

Huntsville impressed the UCI

The UCI is the world governing body for the sport of cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. Based in Aigle, Switzerland, The UCI organizes road and track races each year leading up to the UCI World Championships in a variety of cities around the world.

The May 2023 event in Huntsville was the first UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup round ever held in the United States. Prior to that, Huntsville also hosted two U.S. Opens, primarily for American athletes.

For Team USA, this event will be even more important because in 2026 athletes will be in the final two years of preparation for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, which is projected to be one of the most inclusive Olympic and Paralympic Games in history.

“After a fantastic round of the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup, I am delighted that Huntsville will again welcome the world’s best para-cyclists in 2026, this time for their leading annual event on the road. This is a welcome return to the United States, just two years before the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.”

David Lappartient, UCI president

Want more info and updates on what’s happening in and around Huntsville? Follow Hville Blast on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.