The battle for the title begins with training in 1816 Bike Zone Livigno.
The expectations of the Red Bull BORA – hansgrohe star
on the eve of the 2026 UCI Road World Championships, Livigno confirms its central role on the international stage as a leading destination for altitude training and for fine-tuning preparation ahead of the season’s most important sporting events. Indeed, a great number of athletes, teams and federations have chosen the destination over the summer to fine-tune their preparation for the season’s major sporting events. The summer now draws to a close with the upcoming World Championships in Montréal. Among them are Michael Matthews (Australia), Remco Evenepoel (Belgium), Wout van Aert (Belgium), Alberto Bettiol (Italy), Lorenzo Finn (Italy), Primož Roglič (Slovenia), Finn Fisher-Black (New Zealand), Jai Hindley (Australia), Mathieu van der Poel (the Netherlands), Luke Tuckwell (Australia) and Callum Thornley (Great Britain).
Remco Evenepoel | Red Bull Content Pool
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Lorenzo Mark Finn | Red Bull Content Pool
An international group spanning different nationalities, teams and sporting journeys, reflecting the dimension Livigno has reached over the years. The choice of altitude at such a crucial stage of the season reflects the athletes’ confidence in the conditions offered by the destination and in an ecosystem built over time around the specific demands of elite performance: from world-class facilities, such as the AQ1816 Olympic Training Centre, to a wide variety of training routes, specialised services and a sporting culture deeply rooted in the local community.
Among the teams that have chosen Livigno to support their preparation for the season’s major events is Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, for which Livigno is the Official Altitude Training Destination. A partnership whose value is expressed above all through the athletes’ work and which, on the eve of the World Championships, takes on particular significance.
Primoz Roglic & Remco Evenepoel | Red Bull Content Pool
The team arrives at the World Championships with high ambitions, with some of its leading riders having spent part of their preparation in Livigno. Among them are Remco Evenepoel, three-time reigning World Time Trial Champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist at Paris 2024: “I have learned that putting extra pressure on myself will not give me more watts. Of course, it would be fantastic to write history in Montréal but in an individual time trial, it still comes down to giving it my all on a demanding parcours. This is what I need to focus on. Everything depends on my personal performance. If the result comes, then it will be an extraordinary day – if not, I'll know it was the best I could achieve that day.”
Remco Evenepoel | Red Bull Content Pool
He continues, about his preparation: “I think Livigno is probably one of the best places to prepare for a World Championship. It's not simple training at high altitude, which you could do anywhere in Europe. In Livigno, the roads are amazing, you are surrounded by beautiful mountains, alpine valleys, and you have some legendary climbs very close. The facilities are among the best in Europe too, which makes it super easy to rest up after hard rides. On top of the training, the town itself is quiet and welcoming, which is also a very important factor when you are 100% focused on training.”
The 2026 UCI Road World Championships will take place in Montréal, Canada, from September 20 to 27th. The programme includes individual time trials and road races for the elite categories, as well as the mixed team relay.
The build-up to the World Championships is also an opportunity to retrace the journey that has brought many of its protagonists to Montréal. The race will decide the medals, but the challenge is built through the effort of the weeks and months that precede the World Championships. And for many of the riders expected in Canada, a significant part of that work has taken place in Livigno.
From the biggest names in world cycling to the sport’s emerging talents, they are united by a choice: to entrust Livigno with part of the preparation for the season’s defining challenges. Because while the medals will be decided in Montréal, the journey to compete for them begins much earlier. It begins at 1816 Bike Zone Livigno.
