The line-up for the XCC World Championships at Glentress is packed with some of the biggest names in cycling as the mountain bike events take center stage at the UCI mega Worlds. Defending XCC world champion, New Zealander, Sam Gaze is back to defend his title, with a fresh Tom Pidcock, the current Olympic XCO champion lining up, and Peter Sagan, who dips his toes back into mountain bike racing as the former world road champion sets his sights on the Paris Olympics next year.
However, two big names missing from the start list are Nino Schurter who sits it out after winning the MTB team relay with his Swiss compatriots. Also missing the XCC is the newly crowned road race world champion, Mathieu van der Poel, who has been spotted training at Glentress and was expected to race the XCC. MVDP was initially entered for the Short Track race as a warm-up for his date with destiny at the XCO race at the weekend, but the Netherlands' cycling federation has now confirmed he will only race in the Cross-Country event, as he recovers from injuries sustained in the final lap of the Road race.
