Huntsville and Cummings Research Park will play host to the 2026 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.
The event will be Sept. 4-7, over Labor Day weekend, at the research park. More than 600 of the world’s top athletes, along with their family, support staff and fans, are expected to attend. The event is a partnership between the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, Cummings Research Park, Huntsville Sports Commission, the City of Huntsville, Union Cycliste Internationale and U.S. Paralympics Cycling.
“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,” said UCI President David Lappartient. “This is a welcome return to the United States, just two years before the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.”
The UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships have been held in the U.S. just once before, in 2014 in Greenville S.C.
Huntsville hosted the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup over the Memorial Day holiday. That event featured 350 elite athletes from 40 countries competing in the third UCI World Cup round of the season and 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.
“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.”
Paralympics Prep
For Team USA, the 2026 event will be even more important as athletes will be in the final two years of preparation for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. That return to L.A. is projected to be one of the most inclusive Olympic and Paralympic Games in history.
“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 and internally managed sports at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. “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 2026 UCI Para-cycling World Championships will be held in Cummings Research Park. It is the second largest research park in the U.S. and fourth largest in the world. 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 is going to be a terrific opportunity to see elite athletes race again, and these men and women are at the top of their sport,” said Chip Cherry, president and CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber. “It has been great to see the growing excitement around Para-cycling, and we are incredibly honored to host the UCI World Championships two years before the Olympic and Paralympic Games come to Los Angeles.”
No tickets are needed to watch the races. Volunteer opportunities will be available for a range of tasks. Sponsorships are also available; contact Erin Koshut at ekoshut@hsvchamber.org for more information.
