USA Cycling Announces Team for 2026 UCI BMX Racing World Championships

The 2026 UCI BMX Racing World Championships head to Brisbane, Australia, on July 18-19, where 14 Team USA athletes will take on the world's best.

The team features all six of the 2026 National Champions: Kamren Larsen (Bakersfield, Calif.; Factory SSquared/Answer), Payton Ridenour (Pottstown; Penn.; Chase Bicycles), Sean Day (Tacoma, Wash.; Cycle Therapy Racing), Alexis Alden (Peachtree City, Ga.; Albe’s Bike Shop), Tommy Bruney (Pittsburgh, Penn.; Factory Full Tilt/ RIFT), and Derin Merten (Tempe, Ariz.; Race Inc.).

Team USA enters the World Championships with strong momentum after the opening four rounds of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup. Cameron Wood (Bozeman, Mont.; Mongoose/USA BMX Foundation) earned two Elite Men's bronze medals, while 19-year-old Alexis Alden claimed a silver medal in the Women’s U23 category. The team also returns with confidence from last year's World Championships in Copenhagen, where Alden won bronze in the Junior Women's race and Merten narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish.

The Team USA Roster is as follows:

Kamren Larsen (Bakersfield, Calif.; Factory SSquared/Answer)

Drew Polk (Avon, Ind.; Factory Syndyt/LSG)

Cameron Wood (Bozeman, Mont.; Mongoose/USA BMX Foundation)

Payton Ridenour (Pottstown; Penn.; Chase Bicycles)

Daleny Vaughn (Tucson, Ariz.; Biolab Sciences/ DK Bicycles)

Sean Day (Tacoma, Wash.; Cycle Therapy Racing)

Cutter Williams (Potomac Falls, Va.; Tangent/ Rift/ Rockstar Racing Team)

Alexis Alden (Peachtree City, Ga.; Albe’s Bike Shop)

Tommy Bruney (Pittsburgh, Penn.; Factory Full Tilt/ RIFT)

Evan Esposito (Palm Springs, Fla.; Albe’s Bike Shop)

Cutter Godaire (Mesa, Ariz.; BMX Sharks)

Preslie Gould (Henderson, Nev.; Factory SSquared/Answer)

Derin Merten (Tempe, Ariz.; Race Inc.)

Addison Thompson (Belgrade, Mont.; BMX Sharks)

The Challenge races will be contested the same week, running from July 16-25. The registered riders list can be found here.

USA Cycling’s participation in the World Championships is made possible through the support of dedicated donors and partners. To support the USA Cycling National Team, members can donate to the USA Cycling Foundation here.