The identities of the eight riders that will represent the ACU and Great Britain at the 2026 FIM Trial des Nations in Spain on 26-27 September have been confirmed.
TeamGB manager, Sam Connor, has selected a squad on behalf of the Auto-Cycle Union that he feels will give Great Britain the best chance of success at the annual teams competition.
He has also consulted with newly-appointed TeamGB women’s manager, Donna Fox, to support the selection of the strongest ACU rider line-up for that particular class.
The TeamGB riders that will compete in Arteixo, Spain are:
ACU men’s team
George Hemingway, Harry Hemingway, Harry Turner
ACU women’s team
Kaytlyn Adshead, Emma Bristow, Alice Minta
ACU challenge team
Matilda Arbon, Harison Skelton
“This selection process was largely focused on ACU TrialGB performance with an overlay of results from FIM events and other ACU national trials in the UK including the Scottish Six Days Trial,” Sam explained.
“The ACU has had to make some difficult decisions this year but I believe the blend and balance of the chosen riders will give us the best chance of performing well as a team on this world stage.
“Our ambition is to win all three classes. We are not there to make up numbers and we expect our TeamGB riders to put in the work and effort, both on and off the machine over the coming months, to arrive in Arteixo in the best possible shape.”
September’s event will mark the return to Trial des Nations competition for ten-time FIM TrialGP Women’s World Champion Emma Bristow who will bring some invaluable experience to the TeamGB camp.
“We are super excited to see Emma Bristow back in the team following some very impressive rides in the 2026 TrialGB series,” Sam said.
“Equally, our younger pairing of Matilda (Arbon) and Harison (Skelton) in the Challenge des Nations field represents some of the best rising talent at world level which is great for UK trials. This is effectively a junior pairing that consists of one FIM Trial3 (125cc) rider and someone competing in the FIM Trial2 Women’s category.”
About the FIM Trial des Nations
The FIM Trials des Nations is an annual team competition to determine the world’s leading trials nation. It was first staged in Poland in 1984 when a French team that consisted of current FIM Trial Commission Director Thierry Michaud and his brother Fred, along with Philippe Berlatier and Gilles Burgat, claimed an historic inaugural victory.
Since 2000, the event has featured separate classes for premier male and female teams. A second-tier FIM International Trophy was introduced in 1995 and the FIM Challenge des Nations for mixed-gender, two-rider teams, made its debut in 2022.
Apart from an enforced break in 2020 because of the global pandemic, the premier male competition has been won every year since 2004 by Spain. Last year at Tolmezzo in Italy, a team from the USA won the FIM International Trophy for the third time and victory in the FIM Challenge des Nations went to a Norwegian pairing for the second time.
TeamGB at the Trial des Nations
The ACU team has won the male class on four occasions: 1997 on the Isle of Man, 1999 in Luxembourg, 2002 in Portugal, and 2003 in Italy.
The female class was introduced in 2000 and the ACU team has won that on ten occasions: 2006 in France, 2007 on the Isle of Man, 2009 in Italy, 2013 in France; 2014 in Andorra, 2015 in Spain, 2016 in France, 2018 in the Czech Republic, 2023 in France, and 2024 in Spain.