In a significant change for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, road cycling and mountain biking have been removed from the event’s schedule, as announced on Tuesday. This decision is part of broader cost-reduction efforts. Previously, disciplines like MTB XCO and road events—including the road race and time trial—were featured in the Commonwealth Games. Now, the only cycling events will take place in the velodrome.
Only cycling will be on the boards
While track cycling will still be included, the absence of road cycling and mountain biking marks a notable departure from past Games. The 2026 Commonwealth Games are set to occur in Glasgow from July 23 to Aug. 2, following Victoria, Australia’s late withdrawal from hosting.
The streamlined program will encompass just 10 sports, concentrating on essential competitions such as athletics, swimming, track cycling, boxing, and gymnastics. The complete lineup includes athletics and para-athletics (track and field only), swimming and para-swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para-track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para-powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and para-bowls, and 3×3 basketball and 3×3 wheelchair basketball. This is a reduction from the 17 sports contested in Glasgow in 2014, reflecting a more condensed selection for the upcoming Games.
Glasgow worlds had it all
In contrast, Glasgow successfully hosted the 2023 UCI “Super Worlds,” which showcased nearly every cycling discipline competing for medals and rainbow jerseys. For the first time, road cyclists, mountain bikers, track racers, and para-cyclists all competed at the same venues over several weeks, with the road races earning particular praise for their thrilling competition.
Approximately 3,000 athletes from around 74 Commonwealth nations are expected to participate, with the Games also featuring fully integrated para-competitions across six of the selected sports. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) considered factors like participation universality and competition quality when selecting the sports for this year’s Games.
With cycling events restricted to the track, there will also be no road events such as triathlons or marathons, which have traditionally drawn large audiences and offered free access to spectators.
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